The Actual Genex Tournament
by Austin Jade
Summary: This is how I think the Genex Tournament should've happened in YuGiOh! GX Season Two. Updated to Chapter 52: Many Partings: Forward To The Pro League! Edited Ch. 45
1. Prologue: Nightmares

**Austin Jade**: Hello. I'm Austin Jade, and this is my first fan fiction. It's about how I think The Genex Tournament SHOULD'VE been written. You may think its good, and you may think it's not, but this is what I think should've---

**Old Man**: -Hic- I'll be back later, ladies!!!

**AJ**: …What're you doing here? I thought I sent you on a one-way trip to Bermuda?

**Old Man**: Funny thing about your ideas…they always seem to fail or suck.

**AJ**: …Can't argue that logic. Oh…Folks, this is my absolutely WONDERFUL 70-year-old Sword Master…Bil.

**Bil**: You could've left out the age, Fool. Wait, why are they here…and listening to you?

**AJ**: I'm telling them my fan fiction, d'you mind?

**Bil**: Yes. See what I said about your ideas sucking?

**AJ**: e.e…Anyways, on to the Disclaimer. I own nothing I write here. GX, Characters, none of them…Well, the Original Characters and Cards unless otherwise stated.

**Bil**: Alright…let's get this trash started, so I can go back to what I was doing.

**AJ**: Nobody's telling you to stay, why not go.

**Bil**: And miss belittling my idiotic apprentice? Forget that! XD

**AJ**: …

Prologue: Nightmares 

"This HAS to be a nightmare," the boy thought. "I'm going to be smacked on the shoulder by Cronos, get yelled at for sleeping, and our lives will continue as the had before." However, the boy had that very same thought for nearly a month now, the seemingly inevitable sharp rap on the shoulder never came, and the nightmare continued.

Yuki Judai remembered when it started. He had dueled Edo Phoenix for a second time, this time against Edo's real deck, consisting of the Destiny series of heroes. Judai initially got the upper hand, but quickly lost control, the duel, and, strangely enough, the ability to see his cards and Partner, Winged Kuriboh. Soon after, he met a new series of heroes, the Neo-Spacians, allowing him to regain the ability to see his deck and spirit friend once again. With the help of the Neo-Spacians, and the newest Elemental Hero, Neos, he dueled Edo's Destiny Heroes again, this time pulling out a victory. All appeared well.

Then the chaos started. For the next two weeks, Manjoume Jun was nowhere to be seen. He missed all classes, and never was in his room. As quickly as he had gone missing, the young duelist reappeared at the Obelisk Blue Boys' Dorm, and defeated all the duelists he fought, which was all of the Obelisks, except for Tenjoin Fubuki, the Blizzard Prince. When Judai and the rest of his friends heard of this, they immediately dashed over to the Blue Dorm, only it wasn't blue anymore.

All of those present challenged Manjoume, now calling himself Howaito Sanda, until Asuka stopped them, claiming it was her duty as an Obelisk student to win back the Dorm. Judai didn't like the way Manjoume was acting, and had worried for her safety, but reluctantly agreed. However, she was defeated, and now also dressed in white. A week later, the Obelisk Blue Girls dorm was invaded and converted into the "Light" as the people in white liked to say. Soon after them, the Ra Yellow Dorm was attacked, and converted, Misawa Daichi along with them. Other than a few scattered people, all that were left were Osiris Red students.

Judai sat in class waiting for his friends, Marufuji Sho and Tyranno Kenzan. Both were in Ra Yellow, but as they were currently living at the Red Dorm, they were still wearing their colors proudly. Judai looked around sadly, as all the students near him were wearing white clothes. It sickened the young duelist, as all they kept talking about was "How great their leader was," and "How they should join the Society of Light", the name of their group. "What happened to all of you, " he muttered under his breath.

As if to answer his question, the door slammed open, and in walked a man flanked by his three friends, or former friends, as they preferred. Tenjoin Asuka on the man's right, Manjoume Jun on his left, and Misawa Daichi bringing up the rear. Most of the students greeted the man, but Judai only glared, as HE was the answer to his previous question.

Saiou Takuma.

All of the problems had started from him, all the roads led back to him, all of Judai's hatred had stemmed from one man. This man was Saiou. The man glided down the steps, and caught Judai's narrowed eyes bearing at him. The Tarot card reader smirked deviously at the boy, as he and Judai's friends stopped at Judai's row, the three flankers staring at him emotionlessly. "What is wrong, Judai," his mystic voice said. "You can be with your friends again. All you have to do is join me. Join the Society of Light!" He started back down the stairs to another row, cackling.

Judai had a rough past he didn't share with others, but in all of his years, he couldn't remember having more contempt and loathing directed at one man than Saiou. Judai continued to glower until his friends came up from behind him and cut off Judai's focus, with their usual greeting. "Hey, Aniki!" they shouted.

Judai jumped out of his chair, slightly, and whipped around. "Oh, hey guys," the Osiris hero replied, halfheartedly. "What's up?"

"Nothing, but what were you looking at?" Sho puzzled. He craned his neck to look past Judai, and noticed the problem.

"Oh…uh…nothing much," Judai stammered. "Just looking at…uh…"

"…Saiou with hatred for taking away Manjoume, Misawa, and, especially Asuka?" Kenzan finished.

"Can it, Kenzan…" Judai shot back, miserably. He couldn't deny it, Asuka's loss had hit him hardest of all, but she couldn't let anyone know that, not even his two best friends. Not only was she a talented duelist, and he hadn't expected her to lose, she lost a certain warmth about her. Whenever she spoke, everyone listened, not only because whatever she said usually was wise, but also because her warm charm and feeling she gave everyone around her, especially Judai. But now, when Judai ever got more than a "Get lost" out of her, it was a cold, harsh voice, that sent chills up his spine.

Another reason he had been most depressed with her, is that he had ALLOWED her to duel, and no matter what Sho said about how proud of a woman she was, and that she couldn't be talked out of her decisions, Judai still felt he would've been able to, had he pressed further, thus saving Asuka.

He also had feelings for her. Hilarious, he knew, as they were in separate dorms, and no matter how much of a hero he became, he was still Red, while she was a queen and a symbol of the Academy, but they were there, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them. At first he saw her as a friend, but as time passed, she became much more than that to him. They had saved the world together, and had become great friends, despite her being in Obelisk, while he was in Osiris. He always felt comfortable with her around, as if she carried his confidence in the palm of her hand. Now, he was miserable.

Suddenly, the bell rang, signifying the start of the school day. Cronos walked into the classroom, and the lecture began. Judai couldn't pay attention, per usual, but this time for other reasons than sheer indifference toward Cronos. He reminisced about how the school had been last year, and how horrible the last few months had been. Judai laid his head down to sleep, hoping against hope, that this time, he would wake up, discovering it was a nightmare, despite the fact he knew deep down, that until something was done, things would remain as they were.

**AJ**: Well, how was it?

**Bil**: Garbage, you Moron. Why don't you be more random? Make it AsukaxManjoume, or even an AsukaxRyo pairing. And why bother with a Prologue?

**AJ**: Conceited as ever…–sighs-…Because the only pairing that I think makes sense and that I like is AsukaxJudai, and because it was originally Chapter One, but I felt it was too short…Why do I have to explain this to you? I wasn't asking you, I meant them.

**Bil**: THEY are on the other side of the computer, and can't answer you, Idiot.

**AJ**: There is a little invention called Read and Review, Master.

**Bil**: …Shut up.


	2. Genex Announcement

**AJ**: And we're at the official opening of my Fan fiction of the Genex Tournament, Chapter 1.

**Bil**: I still don't get why you bothered with a Prologue, Buffoon.

**AJ**: Must you always be so derogatory?

**Bil**: It's a gift.

**AJ**: -shakes head- Anyways, for those of you waiting…and for those of you not…here's the first official chapter of my fan fiction.

**Bil**: Oh…I can HARDLY wait….

Chapter 1: Genex Announced 

Samejima's helicopter landed on the roof of the school. It had been over 5 months since he had stepped foot onto the island know as Duel Academia. He had left to go on an expedition to ask all the greatest professional duelists he could find in an attempt to create the biggest Duel Monsters tournament since Kaiba Seto's Battle City, and he wanted it on this island. He left the island under the care of Cronos de Medici and Vice Principal Napoleon. The two were the most capable out of the candidates to keep the school running at a great capacity, which was bad news, to say the least, for the man who had been absent for nearly half a year.

But Samejima had more important things on his mind, namely the recent transformation in character for the once proud duelist, Marufuji Ryo, the newly dubbed Hell Kaiser. Ryo had just defeated the man who was once his principal and had claimed the Cyber Ryu Ura deck, containing the dangerous, yet powerful Cyber Dark Dragon, and combined it with his present deck. The duelist, whose only joy now came from the win, completely lost his respect for dueling, destroying his own Cyber End Dragon in the process. Now, Hell Kaiser was rampaging with the new cards, and the principal knew he only had one chance, to get Kaiser back to the way he used to be, hopefully by dueling Sho and Judai.

Samejima stepped off the helicopter, greeted by the two men that he left to lead the school. "Good day, Principal!" the two said.

Samejima returned their greeting, "Hello Cronos. Napoleon. How is the status of the school, right now?" Now, it didn't take an idiot to notice the look of concern on their faces meant something was wrong, and he was no idiot, but he'd rather hear it from their own mouths. So, he waited patiently for their reply to his question.

"Well," Cronos started, "there hasn't been TOO much of a problem, but—"

"—but we have kept the few minor troubles under control," Napoleon hastily finished, shooting a look at Cronos.

Normally, Samejima would've said they were lying, and demanded the truth. However, as he had more pressing matters to attend to, namely the tournament he had planned, and how to get Ryo back to normal. He invited 200 Pro duelists and, along with his 300 students, had quite a large crowd. He still had to explain the tournament to his students, however, and ordered his subordinates, "Gather the student body into the Auditorium within the hour. I have an important announcement concerning them. An extremely large event that will be held on this island!"

"Yes, sir!" the two men complied, and they hurried off to do their employer's command, hardly believing their luck.

Samejima watched the instructors rush into the school, and reached for his suitcase containing the supplies necessary for the tournament from his transportation. He'd ask Ayukawa, the head of the Obelisk Blue Girls Dorm, what problems occurred here at a later time. Right now, he had to go and prepare for his speech. Although he was older, he still got frightened talking in front of a crowd, a quality that was not good to have as a teacher.

"ALRIGHT!!" Sho cheered, excitedly. "PRINCIPAL SAMEJIMA IS BACK!!!"

"OH, YEAH!" Kenzan happily screamed. "Cronos and Napoleon have only been causing problems, like tearing the Red Dorm down. Only Saiou has annoyed me more than those two. But with Samejima back, everything should return to normal soon enough!"

Both of the boys joyfully danced along the way to the auditorium, as Judai followed slowly behind. They all just received the news that Samejima was back, and that they were all supposed to head to the auditorium for an "important announcement" from the Principal. Judai WAS happy that Samejima was back, but that didn't change the fact that his friends were still ignoring him. Judai sighed sadly as he walked along, but was suddenly interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.

Judai turned around to see Edo Phoenix, the pro duelist, standing there. "Hey, dwelling on your friends won't bring them back, you know?" he said. "They'll come around and realize their mistake soon enough, on their own or otherwise."

Judai forced a smile, "Yeah, you're right, Edo." He had almost forgotten that Saiou's new personality had been as hard on Edo, as Judai's friends' coldness was on Judai.

Edo was a strange case. The man annoyed Judai, at first, and the feeling was mutual. Originally, Judai thought Edo was a cocky, snobbish, rich boy, who only cared about himself, and Edo thought Judai was a rude, overconfident, backwoods nobody, who thought he found fame because of his victory over the Seven Star Assassins. In fact, it was Edo who had defeated Judai, making the young Duel Academia student unable to see his Aibou, Winged Kuriboh, as well as the rest of his cards. But then, Judai learned of Edo's difficult past, and Judai felt sympathetic, as he had a rough past himself. Judai found himself unable to hate the young pro.

The two weren't great friends by any means. In fact, calling them 'friends' was a great stretch. That didn't mean the two didn't see eye-to-eye. After Judai defeated Edo's D-Hero deck, and after the two beat Mizuchi, Saiou's younger sister, the two gained a mutual respect, and, whether they liked to admit it or not, both knew they could count on the other when they had to lay the chips down.

Judai snapped out of his concentration, and realized he been left behind. He hurried towards the Auditorium, thinking that, if Samejima had an announcement that he had to give right after he got back from being away for nearly half a year, something big must be up.

Judai, Sho, Kenzan, and Edo all took their seats with the rest of the non-Society members of the school. Sho and Kenzan joined the other students, chattering about what Samejima's announcement could be. Edo sat with his eyes closed, deep in thought. Judai just sat in silence, not able to pay attention to any of them.

Suddenly, Winged Kuriboh, Judai's Spirit Partner, appeared from Judai's deck and fluttered onto his shoulder. Judai took a quick glance over at the creature. "Hey, Aibou," he greeted dismally. The duel monster clicked a response. "I'm alright, Buddy," he tried to assure the floating ball of fur, but the creature wouldn't have any of it. "I'm just a little stressed is all."

But the creature knew that. It also knew its owner was TOO stressed. He was blaming himself too much over his friends' defeats, and it was eating away at him, causing him to decay from the inside. 'Pressure was good. It forces you to stay alert and to work hard, but too much will weigh you down,' was one of the things his old master used to say.

"Don't worry about me, Aibou," Judai told it. He smirked at the creature, telling it he got the message. "I'll work on trying not to blame myself." With that, Winged Kuriboh chirped its response, and disappeared back into its deck, just as another person called to Judai from behind.

"Hey Judai! Whaddya know, whaddya hear?"

Judai shifted in his seat to see the culprit, although the voice had already revealed his identity. It was Tenjoin Fubuki, Asuka's older brother, and one of the few remaining Obelisks not currently following Saiou's directions. Fubuki took a seat behind Judai and the others. "What's up, Fubuki?" Judai questioned. "How're you?"

"Meh…been better," Fubuki said, immediately sorry he did. Judai turned around, his face falling. Fubuki leaned forward. "Don't blame yourself, Judai. She did it on her own, there was no way you could've stopped her, you know how stubborn she gets," The older man whispered him.

Judai tried to take the wiser man's words to heart, but it was so difficult. It did pick him up a bit though. He had to hear it from someone who'd be closer to Asuka than he'd probably ever be on his own. Judai told him, "I know." Fubuki looked at the boy, he knew that the only person that could pull him out of this slump was Judai himself. Or Asuka. Try as Judai might to hide it, he couldn't stop Fubuki from realizing the young duelist's feelings for his sister.

Judai sat there with his head resting on his arm. His thoughts traveled to the causes of his friends' actions. Edo told the boy right before Misawa went to defeat Saiou that Ra's top student felt neglected by Judai, thinking Judai thought he wasn't good enough to be friends with. He then remembered Manjoume's threats of saying how he realized he put his battle against Judai aside, afraid from being defeated humiliatingly again. Judai never wanted to hurt anyone, but he seemed to do it without realizing it. Did that make him a bad friend? Was he really a bad person? He always dodged questions of his past, was that the cause of all his ignorance? He couldn't say, and it made him feel sickly, as if some parasite were deteriorating his insides.

Cronos who was at the podium, announcing Principal Samejima, snapped Judai out of his spiral of despair. Samejima walked up to the podium, "Good evening students…err…" he paused and looked back at Napoleon and Cronos, who looked frightened. "It appears we have a new dress code here, at the Academia. But to other more important matters." The principal grabbed a remote and clicked a button on it once, twice, thrice, lowering a screen and switching on a projector, revealing a medal with the world placed on it. " I am announcing the beginning of the Duel Monsters Genex Tournament, for all the new great duelists we have in our new generation of dueling! Two weeks from today, 150 professional duelists from all over the world will assemble here. The 150 of you will also be involved in this tournament. On March 1st, three weeks from today, at 9:00 AM, you will all be given one of these medals, and the tournament will begin. These medals are your lifelines. When you defeat an opponent, you gain all the medals the person has acquired. Should you lose, all of your medals are given to your opponent. Over the next month, until 12:00 AM April 1st, a tournament will be occurring all over this island. At that time, the tournament will end, and all the duelists who still have medals will continue on. If there is only one duelist with medals on his person, then that person is the winner of the duel, but if there is more than one duelist with medals, a playoff round will begin. You have three weeks to prepare for this tournament. Prepare your decks, practice, and you shall gain victory. The prize for this tournament is something extremely special. It is a two-month contract with the Professional Duelist's League!"

"I can't believe it," Sho said in awe.

"I know, a tournament for the next generation of duelists," Kenzan exclaimed. " And the prize is a contract with the Professional Duelist's League, the best of the best."

Even Judai was getting fired up with this announcement. "I'm gonna win that contract," he grinned.

His fire didn't last long, however, as he heard a few haughty laughs behind him at his declaration. He didn't need to turn around to see who it was, but faced them anyway. It was Saiou, along with about 10 members of the Society of Light, including his friends. Judai's brow furrowed, not at the students, but at Saiou.

"That's a good look for you, Judai. It screams out anger and hatred, fine qualities of a duelist," Saiou taunted.

"You won't win anything, Slime. Only a Society member will win that contract," Manjoume scoffed.

"However, if you were to join us, Judai, you could be the one winning the contract," Misawa informed the duelist.

"I don't plan on joining any group. I don't need anyone's help to win this tournament, least of all his," Judai snorted in disgust.

"Then you shall fall. And then you shall see the Light, and will join us," Asuka responded coolly.

"C'mon, Judai, the whole world will soon be bathed in the Light. Why not join us now, and save yourself the humiliation of defeat?" Saiou inquired, in a mystic, almost hypnotic, tone.

Judai remained adamant. "I gave you my answer. Send all the duelists you want at me, I'll defeat every last one of them," he replied with such a cold tone that it surprised even him.

Saiou began chuckling, which turned into an all out laugh, and walked away with his members. As soon as they had left, Judai's face fell. His mask of confidence was placed on to impose a little fear into Saiou, but Judai knew Saiou saw right through it. In truth, Judai was sick inside, and was disintegrating from the inside out.

"Aniki…" Sho started.

"Let's go," Judai cut in. "We need to prepare for the tournament." And the three returned to the Osiris Dorms, without another word. The next three weeks were filled with practicing, trying out new strategies, and improving their decks.

**AJ**: There, now. The first official chapter in the story is complete. I think, despite it only involved talking, it came off pretty well.

**Bil**: You'd think wrong, Fool. It's so slow. Where's all the action, the dueling? And why is Judai a scared little child?

**AJ**: Patience, Master, a good story needs to build up. And I think a Judai that is depressed his friends left him, and him thinking it's his fault, is more probable than him running around all jovial about dueling. I think even he would realize this is bigger than dueling.

**Bil**: Guess you do have a point there, Newbie.

**AJ**: Thanks…I think. Anyways, next will come Chapter 2:Best-Laid Plans.

**Bil**: If there's anymore talking in it, then I'm gonna hurl.

**AJ**: -hands Bil a paper bag- Then you might need this.


	3. Best Laid Plans

**AJ**: Back again because I was threatened to put another chapter up by my friend.

**Bil**: Ryu's soooo gonna kill you for using his Fallen Angel cards…XD

**AJ**: I asked him if I could, besides they're not in this chapter.

**Bil**: At least you changed that name you had, it was stupid anyways, fool.

**AJ**: …I'll take that as a compliment.

**Bil**: You shouldn't.

Chapter 3: Best-Laid Plans 

'Where am I?' Asuka thought. She was floating in a sea of darkness. She was alone, cold, lost. She tried to move her arms, but she couldn't. She floated in there, watching the memories of the last several weeks float in front of her like a movie. The images arrived at a section that containing Judai, and the girl's heart skipped a beat. But, as she watched the visions glided past her, she realized something was wrong. All of the pictures showed Judai being hurt, physically or emotionally. She kept waiting for his goofy, warm smile, but all she ever got was a cold glare, or a depressed frown. Asuka soon realized; SHE was the cause of all the pain.

'What has he done to deserve such treatment?' The question reverberated within her mind continuously, as she watched more and more of Judai being tormented by her, Misawa, Manjoume, and anyone else wearing white clothes. Then, she remembered. She DIDN'T want to do any of those things, but every time she got near any of the people not wearing any white clothes, especially Judai, she received a slight, yet firm, push to do something rude. She was compelled to hurt the boy, she couldn't understand why. 'What has Judai done?' she asked herself silently again, as each picture showed her and any others present becoming increasingly aggressive in their treatment of him.

Suddenly, a bright purple light glowed, as if from a star. However, it just made Asuka colder than she was, if that were even possible. This light seemed to freeze her insides. Yet, as she stared at it, she felt more…secure…comfortable. A voice spoke to her from the light. It was soft…mystic…hypnotic.

"You know why you are rude to him," the voice said. "Have you forgotten why he has tried to be so nice to you?"

'Because, he's my friend,' she thought.

"No, you know that is not the reason."

'Enlighten me, then.'

"It's to weaken you."

'How so?' Asuka asked, defiantly. Judai had always been nice to her. In fact, She couldn't remember a time when he was cruel to her. He always had that warm, cheerful, goofy smile of his that burned with his passion and kindness. He was energetic, confident, borderline arrogant at times, but always honest and although childish and stubborn, still found it in his heart to be kind, even to the Seven Star Assassins and Kagemaru.

"How so!?" the voice exclaimed. "He made you drop your shield, the barrier that protected you from harm. Does that no make you vulnerable?"

'He made me act more like myself. Is that really so wrong?'

"Do you remember the last boy you trusted?"

'The Gambler.'

"Do you remember what that boy did to you?"

'Yes, he stole my mother's memento. But Judai's not like that, he wouldn't take advantage of anyone!' she insisted.

The light suddenly grew brighter. Asuka at first was blinded by it, but she couldn't tear her gaze away. She continued to stare, and felt herself begin to go numb, as if she was losing herself.

"Do you know that? Can you prove for an absolute fact that Judai is not like that?"

'I don't…think he would…' But the more she looked at the light, the more she doubted that answer.

"Then one final question. Why haven't you told him how you feel about him?"

Asuka couldn't answer. Or rather, she didn't WANT to answer. She knew exactly why she hadn't told him how she felt about him, How he was more than a friend, how she admired his ability to stay confident all the time, how he was always able to be honest about his feelings. It was because…

'…I don't need to be anyone's help to get strong. Relationships deeper than the skin will hold me back.' She finally said it. Or did she? She continued to star at the light. Yes, it had come from her. She had said. It was the right decision. Judai was only there to hold her back. To make her drop her barrier she had up for so long to protect herself from devastation, just so he could demolish her, and leave her broken and alone. She had to break him first.

"Correct, Tenjoin Asuka." And as quickly as the light had appeared, the light vanished without a trace, except in Asuka's mind.

Asuka kept floating in darkness. Thinking about her discussion. Suddenly, a rage rose from within her. How dare Judai try to hurt her, and in such a low, dirty way! She hovered in space for a while longer, before feeling herself fall asleep. The last thing she remembered was her saying, with a firm and cold voice was, 'I hate you, Yuki Judai.'

But within the depths of her being, a small light beat on an off. A small candle of light flickered, knowing that what she had just said was not her true feelings of the young duelist.

Asuka awoke with a start. Her head throbbed, and she felt light-headed. This had been happening for sometime now, and she just ignored it. She knew where she was immediately, and swiftly got dressed to start her day. She had noticed that, since she joined Saiou, she was a much better person. She always got to bed at 10, and awoke at 6 the next morning. She never used to be a morning person, but the Society of Light changed that within her. She was now able to awaken without a second thought.

She immediately washed and got dressed in her usual Obelisk White attire. She had to admit the color went much better with her skin, than the Blue did. Today was a big day, the start of the Genex tournament. She had two hours to prepare for the domination of the Society of Light in the tournament, and show that strength to the world.

Asuka suddenly gasped. She had forgotten she was supposed to meet Saiou for their plans to get rid of the scum known as Yuki Judai. She couldn't believe she had hung around with a loser like him. An Obelisk befriending an Osiris, who wasn't even in the Society of Light? HA!

She raced down the hallway to the conference room. She was greeted by many as, The Queen of Light, a fitting title for one such as her. Beautiful. Strong-willed. Cold. Ruthless.

She stopped. Cold? Ruthless? She didn't remember having those qualities before. And they hardly fit her personality. Then, a voice whispered in her mind, 'To be strong, one must be willing to surrender such weaknesses as compassion.' She thought it over for a few moments. She then became satisfied with the answer. "I'm late seeing Saiou-sama!" she cried, and dashed towards the conference room.

The door flew open to the Obelisk conference room as Asuka stepped in. She bowed hurriedly. "I'm sorry I'm late, Saiou-sama!" she yelped, as she panted to regain her breath.

Saiou just smiled. "That's quite alright, Miss Tenjoin," Saiou spoke in his calm voice. "We were just discussing how best to go about our plans in the tournament. Would you care to join us?" Asuka nodded, and took a seat next to Manjoume "Howaito Sanda", grateful Saiou hadn't reprimanded her. Come to think about, he never did. What was so wrong with him anyways? She puzzled over it as Manjoume stood up with the explanation of his plans. 'They must be jealous,' she thought. She suddenly realized that she wasn't paying attention to Manjoume's plans, and focused on him.

"…To conclude, I believe it is in our best interests to defeat both Judai and Edo, as they are the most dangerous duelists we can face," he finished.

"But the key is, how do we go about it?" Misawa asked.

Asuka stood up, eager to help. "I believe we should focus on one opponent, and focus our efforts on defeating that duelist. If we do that, then we can even possibly use him to defeat the other one," she told them, and sat back down.

"Excellent idea," Saiou congratulated. "Now our next question is, whom do we focus on first? Judai, or Edo?"

Everyone sat in silence. Both were formidable opponents. Judai had only been defeated in meaningful duels by Marufuji Ryo and Edo Phoenix. Edo had only been defeated by Judai, and had great experience as a professional duelist.

Misawa finally broke the silence, after much deliberation. "I, for one, say we go after Judai," the analytical one of the group stated. "His Neo-Spacians have been proven to be able to defeat Edo's D-Heroes. We can then use Judai's God-Drawing abilities against Edo, and defeat him, as well."

Saiou mulled over the proposal. He deemed it the best out of the options available to them, based on Misawa's analysis. But he still had one more question. "It is a good plan, but we need to find out one of Judai's weaknesses," he explained.

All began thinking again. Saiou looked at each of the leaders in the room. His eyes fell upon Manjoume lastly whose face to slowly grew an evil, malicious grin. Saiou's eyes widened, eager to listen to what the young man had to say.

"Something seems to be on your mind, Howaito Sanda. Would you care to share with the rest of us?" Saiou asked, interested in the duelist's plan.

"Certainly, Saiou-sama!" Manjoume shouted, shaking with ambition. "I think we shouldn't target him right away. His one weakness, I'm sure you've noticed it too, Saiou-sama, is his loss of friends. How it shakes him to the depths of his being. We send duelists after Judai to keep him busy, but we first target his two remaining friends, and capture them, Marufuji Sho, and Tyranno Kenzan. That would shatter him emotionally!" He smirked at his fellow Society members, who each in turn smiled deviously back at him in agreement. They all looked at Saiou, waiting for his decision.

Saiou just sat in his chair. They had tried this once before, with Mizuchi, but Judai and Edo had defeated her. However, the purpose of that duel was to discover how strong of duelists the two were. And the loss of Misawa, Manjoume, and Asuka had a profound effect on the young lad, there was no denying that. Losing his last two friends may just break him down. Hell, he might even willingly join their ranks! How wonderful would that be, the man who had fought so hard for so long, humiliatingly begging for admittance into the Society.

A smile spread across Saiou's face, a smile more appropriate for a beast looking to hunt prey than on a human being. The leader of the Light licked his lips.

"Make it so," he simply said.

**AJ**: How was that!?

**Bil**: How was what?

**AJ**: That chapter? Don't tell me you missed the chapter!

**Bil**: I was out to dinner. What, you expect me to read this whole thing every single time you type one up? You loser.

**AJ**: -shakes head- Anways, folks. Thank you for reading this chapter, I tried to portray Asuka's struggle to remain true to herself as best as possible in here.

**Bil**: Bet you failed, too. XD

**AJ**: I doubt it. Alright, I'll have chapter four up in a few days. So be sure to come and read it. Chapter Four: Prelude To Battle.

**Bil**: Lazy bum. Why don't you have it up tomorrow?

**AJ**: If I have time, but SOME of us have to work. We can't ALL be living off of others, you know… 

**Bil**: Yeah, sucks for those people, doesn't it. XD

**AJ**: -.-;;;…


	4. Prelude To Battle

**AJ**: -shivers-…being sick sucks.

**Bil**: You're the idiot who had to eat that Meatball sandwich. You know what those things do to you, Moron.

**AJ**: Thanks for being so caring…

**Bil**: It's what I do. XD

**AJ**: …. -.-…-sips soup-…At least I can post the next chapters, now.

Chapter 3: Prelude To Battle 

Judai stood outside the Osiris Dorms, tapping his foot on the ground. He took his deck out of the deck holder on his belt, and sifted through the cards, checking each one. He hoped it was well prepared for the duels to come, especially the inevitable duels against the Society of Light members…his friends. He didn't want to face them as they were now. In fact, he dreaded those duels. But it appeared from previous experiences, that the only way to get the society members to see reason was to prove their predictions wrong.

All he had done in the last 3 weeks after school was fine tune his deck, and practice. He started as soon as they made it back to the Osiris dorms, and usually didn't stop till midnight. He was unsure of himself, however.

Judai shook the thought away. He needed to be confident in his battles, or else he would be defeated swiftly and easily. Saiou didn't need any help toying with his mind, and Judai wasn't about to give him any more openings to do so.

"Aren't you guys ready, yet!?" he called impatiently. "The tournament starts in an hour!"

At that, Sho dashed out of the room he was occupying, panting. "S-Sorry, Aniki," the boy stammered. He ran over to join the annoyed Judai. He couldn't believe that Judai was angry. Judai never got mad at anyone, least of all his friends, not even Manjoume.

Sho looked worriedly at his best friend, trying to figure out what was wrong with him, not that it took a brain surgeon to realize what was on his mind. Judai always wore his emotions on his sleeves. Judai was the one most hurt by the Society's actions. 'Can't you guys see what kind of pain and punishment Judai is going through, because of you?' he always wanted to shout at them, especially Asuka, Misawa and Manjoume. Judai had not slept well at all recently. When he did fall asleep, it was tossing and turning, always muttering in his sleep.

In fact, while they had been preparing for the tournament, Judai was the one always helping them. He was always the first one at the dorms, ready to begin. He was always the last one to fall asleep, and always the first one up the next morning, deciding what cards he should use.

Sho's gaze shifted to Judai's face, when he saw something he never saw before, and hoped to never see again. Lately Judai had looked worried, angry, annoyed, sad, and unconfident. However, Judai's face right now displayed a visage of fatigue, and something else. Sho didn't realize Judai could show this demeanor, but it was evaporating from him. It was a look of hatred. He knew Judai was mad at Saiou, but hatred? Did Judai really find it in his heart to HATE the man? The feeling quickly disappeared, and Sho seemed to regain the feeling in his body.

"Aniki…is something bothering you?" Sho asked timidly.

"As a matter of act, there is," Judai snapped, "where the hell is Kenzan? I promised Edo to meet him before the tournament started, so we need to get moving!"

'That's not what I meant,' Sho thought, and by the look in Judai's eyes, he knew it, too. Judai was crumbling from the inside. He blamed himself for each and every one of his friends' losses, and it was eating him alive. Sho knew it was happening, but every time he tried to comfort the young hero, Judai changed the subject. This was the first time he had ever lashed out at others, however.

"Aniki…you can't blame yourself for decisions THEY made—" Sho started.

"I'm here, Aniki!" Kenzan shouted, not realizing Sho was annoyed about being cut off. But Sho let it go, as the two had become good friends since Domino City. Sho didn't talk about the issue anymore. He knew Kenzan would agree with him, but Sho decided that a calm tone would be able to get through to him better than Kenzan's rougher language.

"Alright, from here on out we're rivals! However, we don't face each other till the Finals, got that?" Judai commanded.

"Right!" Kenzan and Sho agreed in unison.

"Let's go, then." And they set out towards the school entrance.

Edo leaned back against one of the pillars near the school entrance. It was past 8:30 AM, and Edo still hadn't talked to Judai about their plans to move against the Society. He saw Saiou and several of his subordinates standing silently, waiting for the tournament to begin. He also saw several Pros chattering with the students and teachers, reminiscing the old days they had at the school.

Edo stood silently waiting for Judai. He normally wouldn't ask for Judai's help, in fact, he didn't want help. But he was going up against around 100 students under Saiou's control, not to mention the unknown number of Pros Saiou could have working for or with him. He would need backup, if only a scapegoat to grasp the Society's attention to allow him the chance to get to Saiou. If he could get Saiou back to normal, the Society would end, and their lives would return to normal.

He obviously wouldn't tell Judai of his plans, but he could lure Judai into a position where it would give them an advantage. He didn't exactly feel bad about doing it, though he did a little sorry for Judai. But Edo knew that Judai could take care of himself, and that was why he knew Judai would be perfect for his operation.

"Edo!" a voice called.

"Speak of the Devil," Edo mumbled. "Hello, Judai." He looked around. "Where are your friends?"

"Somewhere in the crowd," Judai explained, "we decided that we wouldn't help each other from now on."

"Ahhh, like the mother lion throwing her cubs off the cliff."

"…I ain't anyone's mother…"

"Never mind…"

"Any ideas about the tournament?" Judai inquired.

"I'll probably duel the Society members, lower ranked, hoping they'll have some information. But otherwise, I'll let the others gain the medals, and defeat them," Edo told the duelist.

"Not a bad plan…" Judai mused.

"Judai, we need to be careful," Edo told him sternly. "The Society has to believe us as the most dangerous to their schemes, and they'll likely target us."

"You two? Dangerous?" an arrogant voice shot cut in sharply. The man's voice then morphed into an extreme bout of laughter. Judai whipped around to the identity of the person, and narrowed his eyes at the man in the black coat.

"Kaiser Ryo…" Judai murmured in awe and annoyance.

"HELL Kaiser to you, Fool," Kaiser conceitedly corrected.

"What do you want?" Judai asked darkly. He had known about Ryo's new attitude for some time, and had lost all respect for the man he considered as the best duelist he ever faced. Besides, Judai had enough on his plate without Ryo getting involved.

Ryo then began chuckling. "I guess the fact your alone means the rumors are true," the pro sneered.

"Rumors?"

"That your friends have all abandoned you for that Saiou character. It took them long enough, I say. All you did was drag them down to your level. Manjoume was dropped from Obelisk, Misawa declined access into Obelisk, and Asuka declined the chance to be a famous idol, all because of you." Judai felt as if he was stabbed in the chest with each statement, but he didn't want to give Ryo the satisfaction. The young duelist continued to glower.

Ryo reared back and howled with laughter again. "Forget that cocky, goofy grin of yours, that look is so much better for you. Intense, cold, hate, that is all a duelist should feel towards his opponents," he choked through his snickering. He smirked at the boy. "I can't wait to annihilate you, Judai. It will be my greatest victory to date, putting you into place."

"How can you be worried about him," Edo shot at the pro, "when you have yet to defeat me?"

Hell Kaiser's face dropped immediately into a frown. "Don't even THINK I have forgotten you," Ryo quietly threatened. "I have a score to settle with you. I'll eliminate the both of you, and since I'm already a duelist in the PDL, I just get the money up front from the contract. I'll eliminate the both of you soon enough." And with that, he stormed off into the sea of duelists.

"He's going to be tough to bring down," Edo noted. "His swagger isn't just for show. He has a fire within him he didn't have in our last duel."

"Agreed," Judai nodded. Before they could continue their conversation, Samejima announced over the intercom to come forward to retrieve their medals for the tournament.

"Judai, just watch your back," Edo added. Then, grinning arrogantly at his rival, said, "Your only defeat will be against me in this tournament."

"Same to you, Edo," Judai shot back at him as the pro walked away. "I'm looking forward to a rematch." Edo just waved over his shoulder to respond that he had gotten the message.

"Alright, now, all duelists must start in their designated areas. Duel hard, and…BEGIN!" Samejima announced.

Judai dashed through the forest at top speed. 'How can a group of 100 people just disappear?' he thought in annoyance. He had been searching for nearly three hours now. And hadn't found anyone in sometime. He was getting tired. He hadn't slept but one hour the night before, and it was affecting him. "WHERE THE HELL ARE ALL YOU PEOPLE!" He shouted in an anger that stunned even him.

He stopped and breathed heavily. "Alright, Judai. Calm down. No need to get hasty over this. He mumbled. Winged Kuriboh appeared on his shoulder to give him support. "You're a big help, thanks little guy," he thanked. He tried to smile in approval, but couldn't.

"This is just great," Judai groaned. "Life really sucks sometimes, this is one of those 'times'." He leaned back against a tree and slumped to the ground. Soon sleep overcame him.

He didn't know how long he slept, but it was night when he awoke. He struggled like a drunken sailor to his feet. He looked around and muttered to himself, "Man, how long WAS I out?"

"About 9 hours," a female voice spoke. Judai quickly looked around, trying to found the owner of the voice, when she said, "Up here!" He looked up the tree and saw a girl. He couldn't see very well, as there was a new moon tonight. "You alright, you were talking in your sleep about how it was your fault, whatever that means."

"How long have you been there?" Judai demanded sharply.

"Yeesh, you don't have to be so angry," she answered, as she hopped down. She had black hair, blue eyes, and stood slightly shorter than Asuka. Judai was wary, as he still didn't know whether to tell if this was a friend or a foe. She looked about Judai's age.

"Wow, so you HAVE lost your smile," the girl teased. "I thought you were just putting on an act."

Judai shook his head. "I have no time for fun and games," he said harshly. "So either tell me hat you want or leave me alone."

"Awww, why doesn't a cute guy like you trust a lovely girl like me?" she questioned sweetly.

Judai sighed heavily. He apparently was wrong about this girl being an enemy, so he turned around and walked off.

"Hey! Where are you going?" the girl shouted.

"Away from here," Judai called.

"Aren't you going to at least introduce yourself?" she yelled.

"Yuki Judai."

"Yuki…oh, NOW I remember you!" she giggled. "I'm afraid you're going to have to stop there."

Judai turned around. "Why?" Then his eyes widened. How could he have been so blind! She was wearing white Obelisk Girl clothes.

"Allow me to introduce myself," she said. "I am Areka Mikoto, Fallen Princess. I would like to let you go, but Saiou-sama would punish me if I did."

"Answer this, do you know where Asuka and the others are?" Judai demanded.

"Ah, so you DO like Asuka!" she teased. "Maybe, guess you're just going to have to duel me to find out!" She giggled again.

Judai sighed. There was no way out of this, so he shoved his deck into his duel disk. "I get all the medals on your person, and the place my friends are, when I win!"

"Don't get so confident, cutie," Areka stated, "Underestimate me, and it'll be the last thing you do."

"**DUEL!!**"

**AJ**: Well, there's chapter 3. First duel next chapter, in Chapter Four: On Angel's Wings.

**Bil**: You leave it hanging there, and you call ME cold-hearted?

**AJ**: It's not cold-hearted. It's a way to make sure they come back and read the next chapter. It's a process all good storywriters and TV shows use.

**Bil**: It's still cruel, fool. And how did you write this if you're sick?

**AJ**: All I did was type it out from the base I had written out, just added some details in.

**Bil**: You LOVE them loopholes, don't you?

**AJ**: Indeed. ;;


	5. On Angel's Wings

**AJ**: Back in the saddle for Chapter 4. What kind of deck will Areka Mikoto be using?

**Bil**: I'm telling you; Ryu's going to kill you, Idiot. And Judai in your first duel? Couldn't you pick an opponent where the outcome is at least a LITTLE in question?

**AJ**: Hey, would you LIKE to see Sho all psycho with the Society of Light?!

**Bil**: …Actually, I'd think that'd be kind of interesting…

**AJ**: You're hopeless…(secretly thinks: That WOULD be kind of interesting…)

**(URGENT: ALL FALLEN ANGEL CARDS HAVE BEEN CREATED BY RYU JONESU)**

Chapter 4: On Angel's Wings 

Saiou lifted the teacup to his lips for a sip, before turning back to his laptop. He sat in his lair, looking at the screen, sifting through the files of all the duelists in the tournament, especially those following him. Out of his 125 followers, they had faced 30 opponents, but lost seven duels. Not bad, considering they were the Ra's who Saiou expected to drop out early, and they had recruited well more than they had lost. He hadn't even bothered to improve their decks, knowing it would have been a waste to begin with.

Saiou snorted in a mild disgust. Those low-class duelists he had Manjoume recruit wouldn't have come close to defeating Edo or Judai anyways, the two men he had desired to be in his 'flock' the most. He then opened Edo's file, two of the seven opponents had lost to him, allowing him to gain 3 medals already. "Impressive…" Saiou smirked. He opened Judai's file, but then frowned, as he hadn't dueled yet.

He looked at his Tarot cards, and flipped the top card. The card was revealed to be The Fool, the card that represented Yuki Judai. "Interesting," Saiou murmured, sipping his tea. He flipped over the next card revealing the angel-bearing Temperance card. "Ahhh…" he breathed, interested in Judai's next challenger. "And just how will you escape THIS one, Judai?" "Soon…very soon…you two will be mine, and the world will be in the palm of my hand," he muttered, as he grinned maliciously.

The door burst open with Manjoume, Asuka, and Misawa barging through. "Saiou-sama," Howaito Sanda exclaimed, "forgive my intrusion."

"It's alright, Manjoume-kun, what have you to report?" Saiou inquired, as if he didn't already know.

"It's Yuki Judai, he has begun dueling with…" Manjoume started.

"…Areka Mikoto, The Fallen Princess, correct?" Saiou finished.

Manjoume's eyes widened for a moment, before realizing whom he was talking to. "Y-yes, sir," Manjoume responded. "But sir, if I may…"

"Hmm…?" Saiou grunted.

"Do you REALLY think that she will defeat that slime?" Manjoume puzzled.

"Wait a moment, here. Do you mean to suggest that my girls can't contend with the buffoon?" Asuka demanded.

"It isn't that, Tenjoin-kun. It's just…we do HAVE better duelists. Wouldn't Yuki suspect something if someone like her was his first opponent?"

"Enough," Saiou said, as his eyes flared with a purple glow, catching both of their gazes, and immediately calming the two. "Manjoume, we can't risk losing our main group early on, but I believe, whether Mikoto-chan can or cannot defeat Judai, she'll force him to use more tactics we may not haven't seen yet. Remember, we just need to keep him occupied until we set our plan into motion."

"Yes Saiou-sama," the leader of the Society's duelists stated.

Saiou then hit a button to lower a screen. A few more clicks, and he had the duel between Areka and Judai on the screen of his laptop. He then connected a projector and displayed the information from the laptop onto the screen for them to watch.

Judai and Areka both drew their starting five. "Ladies first," Judai calmly stated.

"How nice, Draw!" She tore a card from her duel disk and looked at it. "I'll summon Fallen Angel Rosario (1300/1100), in defense mode!" A creature appeared from the holographic projector. It was a graceful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed figure, carrying and elegant bow on its back. It had a red chest-plate with a flowing red cape. On its hands, were brown leather gloves. It looked almost like an angel, except the wings were colored a dark gray. It landed on top of its card in a genuflecting position. "Turn end!"

"My turn, Draw!" Judai took a card from his deck. He glanced at his hand, before shouting, "I'll summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix (1200/800), in attack mode! Destroy her Rosario!" Burstinatrix opened her palm to build up a fireball into it. She then reared back, before firing the flame directly at Rosario, destroying it in an explosion. Judai smirked. "Too easy," he muttered.

Areka lowered her arms that shielded her eyes from the explosion, grinning as well. Judai's brow furrowed when he saw her smiling. "I'll leave it there," he stated, more cautious than he was a moment before.

"I guess it's true," Areka giggled, "The cute ones ARE the dumb ones."

"There's no time for talk, kid. You will be knocked aside, just like all the others." He wanted to rush through this duel and hurry to find his friends.

Areka just sneered. "You underestimated me, didn't you wonder WHY I put Rosario in defense mode, even with its higher attack?" Judai just stared at her. "Hmph, guess you'll soon find out! I draw!" She reached for her deck and ripped another card away from it. "Now, my Rosario's effect activates, on my next Standby Phase, after this card is destroyed, I can special summon another one from my deck or my hand, and I place this one it attack mode!" Another Rosario appeared on the field, in the same manner as the last, only this time it hovered above the ground with its bow in hand.

"Now I summon Fallen Angel Rubido (900/800) also in attack mode!" A figure with gray wings, gray eyes, and purple hair floated on the field now, wearing a light-purple breastplate similar to Rosario's. It carried no cape and, apparently, no weapon. Judai grimaced. How could he have been so blind? He surely should've noticed that Rosario had higher attack points.

Areka, on the other hand, smiled. "You see, even when they are destroyed, my Fallen Angels can still be dangerous. Rosario, attack Burstinatrix!" Rosario drew an arrow from its quiver, and pulled the bowstring with it back. It released the arrow, launching it with deadly accuracy right into the middle of Bustinatrix's abdomen, before the Hero's hologram shattered. "Now, Rubido, attack his Life Points directly!" Rubido punched its fists together, revealing that the gray gloves were actually metal gauntlets. The creature flew directly at Judai, before rearing back and sending a straight punch at Judai, who stumbled back a few steps from the realism of the punch. A quick glance at his LP meter showed that he had lost a quarter of his Life points (Areka 4000 LP, Judai 3000LP). He was not thrilled.

"In my second main phase, I'll set one card facedown, and end my turn."

Judai slowly lowered his arms, revealing a cold glare. At first the Fallen Princess smiled, until upon further inspection, the gleam in Judai's eye, revealed something that chilled her spine, but she couldn't place it. Was it rage? Hatred? No, it looked more like…bloodlust. She shook her head and looked again, and seeing it wasn't there, passed it off as a trick of the hologram's light. Judai didn't even CONTAIN the emotion of bloodlust.

"My turn, Draw! I summon E-Hero Sparkman, in attack mode! Sparkman, destroy Rubido!" Sparkman held its palm in the air, as a bolt of lightening shot into it. The bolt spread out, and straightened into the Hero's hand like a spear. Sparkman then launched the bolt like a javelin, striking Rubido, and eliminated the Fallen Angel in another explosion. Areka's Life Point meter lowered about one- fifth of the meter. (Areka 3300, Judai 3000)

"On my Second Main Phase, I shall set on card, and leave it at that."

"I chain at your End Phase! I activate the quick-play magic card, Gray Feather! I can only activate this card when a Fallen Angel is on my side of the field. It allows me to destroy one magic or trap card on your side of the field. Then you take 300 Life Points of damage! I choose your facedown card!" Feathers began falling above Judai's set card, like falling snow. The card flipped up, revealing Draining Shield, and then shattered. Judai angrily stuffed the card into his card graveyard, as his Life Point meter dipped slightly (Areka 3300, Judai 2700)

" My turn again," Areka teased, " Draw! Next, my Rubido's effect activates! While it's in the graveyard, during my Standby Phases, I can switch one of your monster's battle positions! I, obviously, choose Sparkman, to defense!" Sparkman then knelt down on one knee, and crossed its arms in front of it. She looked at her hand. "I shall summon, Fallen Angel Lucia (1600/1400)!" Another gray-winged angel appeared on the field, this one with long, brown hair and a black cape. It had a cobalt breastplate, with brown leather holsters on either side, holding short swords in each. It had a small, silver buckler on its right forearm.

"Another one?" Judai exclaimed. He had QUITE enough of these 'Fallen Angels'.

"Yup!" the self-proclaimed Princess gleefully stated. "Now, I attack your Sparkman with my Lucia! Unholy Cross-Blade!" The angel flew at a breath-taking speed towards the defense position Sparkman, and, even more quickly, withdrew its daggers from their holders, and sliced the Lightening-based warrior into quarters. "Now, Rosario, attack Judai directly!" Rosario drew another arrow, and shot it straight at Judai, which would have pierced him through the heart, had it not been an image. The realism dropped Judai to one knee, as his Life point meter dropped even further (Areka 3300, Judai 1400). "I end my turn," she declared.

Judai cursed under his breath. He was letting this first-year girl beat him. He was afraid of his duels against Asuka and the others, but the way things were appearing, he might not even get THAT far. Duel Monsters were supposed to be based around eliminating your opponent's monsters and send them to the graveyard, yet her creatures seemed to take advantage of that basic quality. He was already down to almost a quarter of his LP, while he had barely scratched her. These thoughts all raged through his mind, angering him tremendously.

Areka broke the silence and his string of thoughts. "Excuse me, but it is your turn. You did say that there was no time for talk." Judai rose to his feet, still sulking. "What will you do, cutie? You destroy Rosario, and I'll just get another on my next Standby Phase. And you could probably destroy Lucia, but what will happen if you do?"

Judai's brow furrowed. He knew that she was just trying to psych him out. However, it was working, and what annoyed him the most, he couldn't answer her question. What WAS he going to do?

**(Areka's Life Points 3300, Judai's Life Points 1400)**

**AJ**: There you go. You guys now have a pretty good idea of how I conduct duels, so what do you think?

**Bil**: Crap.

**AJ**: How did I know that's what you thought of it without you saying it?

**Bil**: What'd you expect me to say? You use these cards, yet you didn't even come up with!

**AJ**: But they ARE good, aren't they? And you'll get more of them next chapter, too!

**Bil**: You loser.

**AJ**: Hey, I needed a good duel out of the gate after 4 chapters of chitchat. And these cards seemed to be the right ones to do so.

**Bil**: You're still a loser…you should invent your OWN cards, next time, idiot.

**AJ**: I will next time…I hope.


	6. Ashes to Ashes

**AJ**: All right, time for part 2 of the Duel between Areka and Judai. Can Judai counter the Fallen Angels abilities, which are activated once they are in the Graveyard?

**Bil**: Yep.

**AJ**: …What's with the guess?

**Bil**: It's Judai; he'll draw his "Miracle on the River" like all the other episodes.

**AJ**: You are no fun. Oh, well…time for the first part of my double post that I HOPE to get in tonight.

**Bil**: You know you won't.

**AJ**: You know that, and I know that, but do they know that?

**Bil**: They will once they read the introduction, Moron.

**AJ**: …Oops…

Chapter 5: Ashes to Ashes

Siaou cackled evilly in his chair, as he watched the information of the duel being fed to him via satellite. He loved watching Judai struggle with his opponents, and this battle was no different. He took another sip from his teacup, smirking as he watched Areka's Fallen Angels wear Judai down due to their special cases when their effects activate.

"See?" Asuka said triumphantly to Manjoume. "I told you she was a fine opponent for that loser!"

Manjoume just turned his head slightly to the side, muttering under his breath. Asuka smirked, knowing that she had won the battle for now, and turned back to the screen.

'That's it Judai, struggle. I want you to pay for all the pains you have caused all my friends in the Society of Light,' Asuka thought gleefully. 'This is for all the times you wished to weaken me.' She started to giggle evilly, eagerly waiting for him to strain underneath the pressure of the Fallen Angels.

Saiou continued to watch the projection. He knew that none of Judai's cards focused once removing cards from the game on their opponent's side of the field. His cards just placed them to the Graveyard. Unfortunately for him, these particular cards could spell trouble for him even AFTER being placed in the Graveyard. Saiou had failed to bring Judai into the society once, but he was sure, one more loss would be able to do it, as this time, Saiou would focus all his attention into doing so. After Judai, he would send his servants to take down Edo, and the two people who could potentially become the greatest of nuisances would finally be brought to heel.

Saiou paused. 'No, there may still be another,' he mused, as he glanced over at Asuka. She was the only one up till now whom he had to regularly inspect over. For some reason, she still was able to resist him. It was not an all out resistance, as he still had control, but she still would get questions into her that would conflict with his hypnosis. At first it seemed to stem from her overwhelming pride, but Manjoume also had duelist's pride, and he had never fought against his control. Saiou knew it was something else, but what could it be?

He decided to wave the thought off for now, and turned his attention back to the screen, awaiting Judai's next move. The duel was far from over, as Judai still had his "God-Draw" abilities, which seemed to strengthen whenever he was caught in a corner. He knew that is Areka was going to eliminate this problem, then she would have to find a way to weaken his "God-Draw", something no one had figured out as of yet.

"C'mon, cutie, I don't have all day!" Areka teased. "I know you're in a bind, but could you please at least DRAW a card and begin your turn? Or have you finally seen your destiny and are giving up?"

The last statement snapped Judai back to reality. "You are starting to underestimate ME 'Princess', is you think I'm giving up," he snapped. He didn't know how though. He'd have to draw something that could bring the duel under his control. He only had 1400 Life Points to her 3300, as well.

"DRAW!" he finally shouted. He looked at his new card, and his eyes widened. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman, in attack mode! When he is summoned onto my field when no other cards exist on it, I get to draw two more cards!" He did so. "Alright, now I activate the Spell card, Over Soul! It allows me to special summon one Normal Monster with Elemental Hero in its name from my graveyard to the field, and I choose, Burstinatrix!" Burstinatrix appeared on the field, landing next to Bubbleman.

"Now, I activate Polymerization! This card allows me to send monsters from my hand and field to the graveyard to special summon a monster from my Fusion Deck! I fuse Bubbleman and Burstinatrix to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Steam Healer!" The large blue and red hero descended from the vortex that had absorbed the two previous monsters.

"Steam Healer, attack her Rosario!" The Hero gained speed as it sped towards the Fallen Angel, and ran it through, causing the monster's hologram to shatter. Areka braced herself, as she took a slight hit of 500 Life Points of damage. "Now, Steam Healer's effect activates! I gain Life Points equal to the attack of the monster Steam Healer destroyed!" Judai looked at his LP meter as it regained the Life Points he had just lost (Areka 2800, Judai 2700). "I'll place on card facedown, and that's all!" Judai declared, happy that things were more even now.

"Don't get cocky, I'm still in control of this duel, Draw!" She glanced at the card, and smiled. "I now special summon another Rosario from my deck, thanks to Rosario's special effect! Now, I won't activate Rubido's effect to switch your E-Hero to defense mode!"

Judai's eyes narrowed. " Great, if she won't destroy it in defense mode, she must have a way to destroy it while in attack mode," he groaned to himself.

"I now activate an Equipment Magic Card to Lucia, called Broken Halo! I can only equip this card to a Fallen Angel, but my monster then gains 300 attack points!" Areka gleefully called, as Lucia's attack points increased to 1900, over Judai's monster's 1800. "Now, Lucia, destroy his monster!" Lucia glided over the ground, and quickly carved the Hero like a hot knife through butter with its two short swords. The monster exploded, as Judai took a slight impact, docking him 100 LP (Areka 2800, Judai 2600).

"I activate my trap, Hero Signal!" The card flipped up, as a spotlight shone from the card in the sky, with an "H" shadow, symbolizing the E-Heroes, in the middle. "This card allows me to special summon one Elemental Hero from my deck that's level four or lower, I choose Elemental Hero Clayman!" Clayman appeared on the field, and lowered itself into a wall-like position in front of Judai, protecting the youth.

Areka snorted in annoyance. "You escape for now. But I'm not done. I'll activate the magic card, Fallen Treasure! We each draw two cards, and show them to each other. Any monsters within those cards are discarded to the Graveyard."

Both drew two cards. Areka smiled sweetly at Judai, once she saw him grumble at his draw. "E-Heroes Neos and Bladedge," he growled, as he placed them into his discard pile.

"Cheer up, with the way I've kept your field clean, you wouldn't have any monsters to sacrifice for them anyways!"

"Enough with your jokes, lady," he angrily stated.

"Yeesh," she began to tease again, seeing how it got under his skin, "you know you COULD win Asuka's heart if you would be a little nicer. And if you were in the Society of Light, but the latter shall soon be fulfilled." She revealed her two cards. "Fallen Curse, and Fallen Angel Nicholas, which goes into my graveyard." Judai would've been happier she discarded a card, if it wasn't for the fact that it was another Fallen Angel.

Areka noticed the look of displeasure on his face. "I'm not done. I activate the Permanent Spell card, Fallen Curse! Now the effects of my Fallen Angels that are in the Graveyard activate in your Standby Phase, as well as mine! That'll do me, your move!"

"Great," Judai sighed. He thought about his current situation. Now he'd have to contend with Nicholas being in the graveyard, but what would it do? Not only that, but he only had Clayman, while Areka still had that Lucia, now with 1900 attack points.

"Excuse me?" Areka cut into his train of thoughts. "But if you stall much longer, I'll take it as a surrender!"

Judai glowered at her coldly. Areka froze, feeling her spine shiver once again. She felt cold sweat on the back of her neck.

"Draw," Judai declared quietly, though rage was noticeably in his voice.

"N-now I activate Nicholas's effect," Areka stammered. "You lose 300 Life Points." A purple aura surrounded Judai, sucking 300 Life Points from him, to lower his Life Points to 2300.

"Fine, I activate Miracle Fusion! By removing fusion-material monsters for an Elemental Hero Fusion Monster from my field and Graveyard, I can special summon that monster from my Fusion Deck," Judai explained. "So, I'll remove E-Hero Clayman from my field, and Burstinatrix from my graveyard, in order to Fusion summon Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster in defense mode!" The E-Hero appeared on the field in front of Judai, protecting him from harm.

"Now I activate Blaster's effect, when it is in defense mode, I can divide its attack in half to attack you directly! So, Blaster, attack her directly!" Rampart Blaster raised its missile launcher up a little in Areka's direction, and fired off s barrage of explosives at her. They landed on the ground beside her, and the salvo erupted in a ball of flame, as her Life Point meter dropped a quarter of the way down (Areka 1800, Judai 2300). She yelped in pain as she fell backwards to the ground from the hologram.

"I'll end with a facedown card," he told her.

"You jerk! That's no way to treat a lady!" The Princess groaned as she stood back up, brushing the dirt off her clothes. "I'll get you for that, brute, Draw!" She smirked at her draw. "I activate Rubido's effect, and switch your Rampart Blaster into attack mode!" The Hero slowly stood upright, it's shield to the side of its body, rather than in front of it. "Next, Nicholas's effect activates, lowering your Life Points by another 300!" Again, the purple aura surrounded Judai, as his LP meter dipped to 2000. "Finally, my Lucia's effect activates!"

"Wait a minute, but Lucia isn't in the Graveyard!" Judai shouted.

"Oh, I forgot to explain Broken Halo's second effect, didn't I? How silly of me!" she teased. "While it's equipped to a Fallen Angel, not only does that monster gain 300 attack points, but it also makes it so its effect activates on my Standby Phase, even though it's on the field!" Judai winced. He hadn't expected that. "Now, you pick up your top card!" Judai did so. "Now, you reveal your top card to me, and I'll decide whether it stays on top of the deck, or is sent to the bottom!" she announced joyfully.

"What!?" Judai exclaimed.

"C'mon, cutie, what's the card?" Knowing by his reaction it was a good card.

Judai grumbled in disgust as he turned the card around. "Pot of Greed," he somberly stated.

"Ohhh, could've used that one, huh? Oh, well, it's going to the bottom!" Judai slid it back underneath his deck. "Now, I sacrifice Lucia and Rosario to Normal Summon Fallen Angel Leo (2700/2050), in attack mode!" A huge creature appeared on the field, bearing a dark purple cape, long black hair, and a bronze breastplate. He wielded an enormous halberd that appeared to be tinged red with blood. Judai grimaced at the attack points of the card. He didn't have many cards that could defeat it easily. "It's only going to get worse, Judai!" she called sweetly. "I now activate the Spell card, Angelic Marriage! When a Fallen Angel Leo is on my side of the field, I can special summon from my hand or deck one Happiness Angel Ash (2300/2150), and I do so in attack mode!" A creature much different from the others appeared on the field. It had pink wings, and wore a gray tunic with leather boots. She had golden hair flowing from its head. It drew a crossbow from its back and loaded 3 bolts from her pack onto its long-ranged weapon. "And now my Ash's effect activates! It increases the attack of all my monsters that have 'Fallen Angel' within their card names by 300 point!" Ash lightly kissed Leo on the cheek, which made a response by gaining the 300 attack points, up to 3000.

"As if I didn't have enough problems to deal with," Judai muttered, agitated.

"Here's something else, as long as Leo is on the field, Ash cannot be targeted with an attack or any card effects!"

"Wonderful."

"Now, Leo, attack his pathetic wall!" Leo leapt into the air, spinning its halberd above his head to gain momentum, and brought it down right through the helpless wall. Two explosions on either side of the halberd were what remained of the hero. Judai flew back from the force of the impact, losing 1000 Life Points in the process (Areka 1800, Judai 1000). "And now, Ash will finish you off. Attack him directly!" Ash lifted its crossbow towards the young duelist, and fired.

"Trap Card, activate!" A card flipped up which revealed to be Hero Spirits. "I can only activate this card during a battle phase where an Elemental Hero was destroyed in battle. But I then reduce the battle damage of one attack to 0, and since I didn't target Ash, the effect still goes," Judai explained the effect, as the bolts from Ash's crossbow bounced harmlessly to the ground. He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he had just missed defeat by seconds.

"I'll end," the girl sighed.

"Then I'll draw!" Judai stated.

"You lose 300 Life Points, and I see your top card."

Judai drew a card as he lost another 300 Life Points, dropping him to 700. "Skyscraper," he said morosely.

"To the bottom," she said sadly. It seemed as if that last near miss took the wind out of her sails, and Judai realized it immediately. Trouble was, he didn't have any cards in his hand to do anything about it.

He sighed. "I'll just set 2 cards facedown, and end my turn."

Areka couldn't believe it, this was her chance. All she needed was one more attack, and it would all be over. "Draw! You lose 300 LP and you show me your top card!" Judai revealed Wroughtweiler, which she sent to the bottom. His LP meter dropped to 400

She analyzed the situation. He had only two facedowns, which, if bluffs, would allow her to win. But what if they weren't bluffs? She looked at Judai, and decided to see if she could get a tell from him, to decide if she should attack or not. "Living on the edge, aren't we?" she joked. "If those cards of yours aren't helpful, you realize I have won, right?"

Judai only nodded slightly, glaring daggers at her, daring her to attack. She gulped, trying to decide what she should do. She finally commanded, "Leo! Attack his Life Points directly and end this duel!" Leo charged towards Judai, coming nearer and nearer, its red eyes gleaming with delight as he bore down on the boy with its halberd.

**(Areka's Life Points 1800, Judai's Life Points 400)**

**AJ**: Alright, part two is done!

**Bil**: Wait, you mean that's it? You're leaving it there?!?!

**AJ**: Yup!

**Bil**: You are a totally hopeless fool.

**AJ**: Say what you want, but I got it done!

**Bil**: Yeah, nearly three days after you wanted to get it done, lazy bastard.

**AJ**: Never a dull moment with you…geezer…

**Bil**: What was that?

**AJ**: Nothing!


	7. Fall From Grace

**AJ**: Back in the saddle, and on my 18th birthday, how quaint.

**Bil**: Quit whining, Slime. Get back to work!

**AJ**: Your eagerness tells me that you like my story!

**Bil**: Your idiocy knows no bounds. I've been having to talk to the people who you know and tell them when you're gonna post again, now get to it!

**AJ**: You'll see. Once this duel ends, I think you'll see it differently.

**Bil**: Don't get your hopes up.

**(Urgent: I'm a moron, and miscalculated the LP subtraction (18, huh?). The score is actually 1800/400. Sorry for the inconvenience. It has been corrected on the last chapter.)**

Chapter 6: Fall From Grace 

"I'm going to end this duel right now!" Areka cried. "Fallen Angel Leo, attack his Life Points directly!" Leo leaped high into the air, spinning its halberd above his head. He started floating down towards Judai, and readied its weapon to strike.

Judai lifted his head up. "At this moment, I activate the Spell Card, Flute of Summoning Kuriboh!" the boy shouted. "And I'll chain to that, Emergency Provisions! Let me explain, Emergency Provisions allows me to send Magic or Trap cards on my side of the field to the graveyard, and in exchange, I gain 1000 Life points per card. So I'll send my Flute to the grave, and gain 1000!" A golden light surrounded Judai, as his Life Point meter increased to 1400. "And since, my spell was activated first, its effect allows me to bring a Kuriboh or Winged Kuriboh to my hand, or special summon it to the field!"

A ball of fur appeared on the field in defense mode for a moment, before being smashed to pieces by the giant weapon Leo held. Judai, oddly enough, enjoyed seeing the carnage, which surprised him slightly. He shook his head before continuing. "Now Winged Kuriboh's effect activates, I take no battle damage for the rest of this turn!"

Areka groaned. "Why don't you just quit? I have my two fiercest creatures on my field, and you have nothing!"

"I told you, I'm not quitting until the last card is drawn!" Judai growled.

"Be that way, I'll end my turn."

"Good, Draw!"

A purple aura surrounded Judai, absorbing 300 more life points, lowering his to 1100. "Show me your top card!" Areka demanded. Judai showed her Graceful Charity. "Place it on the bottom."

"Fine, I'll activate Fusion Recovery! I get to bring back a monster used in a fusion, and a Polymerization back to my hand. So I'll bring back Bubbleman and my spell. Next I'll summon Bubbleman, and since he's alone on my field, I get to draw two cards!" He drew his two new cards, and looked at them. He smirked greedily. "Now, I'll activate Polymerization! I send E-Heroes Wildheart and Necroshade to the graveyard, and fusion summon Elemental Hero Necroid Shaman!" The red-haired, face-painted creature lightly landed on the ground. "When he's summoned, I can send one monster on your field to the Graveyard, and in exchange, special summon another one! I'll choose Fallen Angel Leo!" An explosion enveloped the creature, and smoke covered the field. "I'll then special summon Fallen Angel Rubido, in attack mode!"

"Don't forget, Ash raises its attack by 300 points!" Areka screamed, knowing it didn't matter. Ash fluttered her wings, sending golden particles in Rubido's direction, which caused Rubido to gain attack points up to 1200.

"That's ok, now Shaman, attack Fallen Angel Rubido!" The witch-doctor-like hero jumped into the air and brought its staff down upon Rubido's head and neck, when the creature shattered. The dust kicked up and blew at Areka, lowering her Life Points to 1100. "Now it's tied! I'll set one card, and end my turn."

"It won't be tied for long, Draw! I activate Leo's special effect, I send one card from my hand back to my deck, and then I bring a Fallen Angel monster to my hand, I'll choose Fallen Angel Caroline! Now you lose 300 Life Points, and you show me your top card!" Judai was surrounded by a purple aura, and drew Skyscraper, which was sent to the bottom. "But Caroline won't be in my hand for long, because now I activate Fallen Regen! Here's how it works, I send one Fallen Angel from my hand to my graveyard, and then I can special summon a Fallen Angel that was destroyed in battle! So Caroline goes to the graveyard, and then I specials summon Fallen Angel Leo back to the field." Leo dropped down from the sky, and heavily plopped onto the ground. "And don't forget Ash's help, he gains 300 more attack points!" Ash kissed Leo on the cheek again, causing his increase, to 3000.

"Now, Leo, attack his Bubbleman!" Leo dashed towards Bubbleman.

"Trap Card open! I activate Negate Attack! It ends your current attack, and your battle phase for this turn!" Judai breathed a sigh of relief, as Leo's halberd slammed onto an invisible shield. It bounced back harmlessly, saving the youth yet again.

"I'm really getting annoyed with your stalling, jerk. Why wouldn't you want to be in the Society? Just accept your loss, and then let us get on with our lives!" she coaxed.

"I'd like to be in control of my own actions, thank you," Judai grumbled. "Are you done yet or not?"

"Pfsshh, fine. I end my turn with a face down."

"Good, my draw!" Judai lost 300 Life points (Areka 1100, Judai 500), and revealed Mirror Force from his deck, which was sent to the bottom. "I'll activate the magic card, Righteous Justice! I can destroy a number of magic or trap card on the field equal to the number of Elemental Heroes on my field, so I'll destroy your Fallen Curse, and your face down!" Areka gasped as her trump facedown disappeared in a ball of flame. She stamped her foot in anger, as she stuffed her Attack of the Pearl Gates into her Graveyard. "Then, I'll just switch my monsters into defense mode, and end it there."

"Draw! You lose 300 LP, and I see your top card!" Judai revealed Skyscraper II Hero City. "Send it to the bottom!" She groaned as she looked at her hand, she didn't have any monster to finish off her opponent. But she did have a Call of the Haunted; she could use it next turn! But first, she needed to relieve Judai of any chance to get a victory. "I'll have Ash and Leo attack your Shaman and Bubbleman!" Leo sliced the fused monster in two, while Ash riddled Bubbleman with bolts from her crossbow. Judai stood unfazed. "I'll finish with a face down!"

"Last turn, as I only have one turn left, before I lose another 300 LP. Draw!" He gasped in surprise at his draw. "Looks like my Miracle-Draw, or whatever it's called, is alive and well!" he said as he licked his lips. "I activate Hope of Fifth!"

"What?" Areka puzzled.

"Hope of Fifth, it's a magic card! When I activate it, I can send 5 Elemental Heroes from my graveyard back to my deck. So I'll choose Elemental Heroes Bladedge, Wildheart, Neos, Necroid Shaman, and Bubbleman back to my deck! I then shuffle my deck!" 'I need to draw something here. Don't let me down now, deck!' he pleaded in his mind. "After I shuffle, I can draw 3 cards, and since this was the only card in my hand when I activate it, I can draw one more!" Judai drew his four cards. His eyes widened. Areka watched in despair, as she felt the control of the duel slowly slipped away from her, even though he hadn't done anything, yet.

"I activate Necroshade's effect! When he is in the graveyard, I can normal summon one Elemental Hero from my hand without a sacrifice! So here comes my Elemental Hero Neos!" Neos floated down from the sky, and lightly stepped onto the ground.

"I'm not done, I activate Contact Soul! I can only activate this card when a Neos is on the field, when I do, I can special summon one monster with 'Neo-Spacian' in its name from my deck, so I'll special summon Neo-Spacian Groun Mole! You guys ready?" Both Neos and Groun Mole nodded. "Then…Contact Fusion, Activate! I'll send Neos and Groun Mole to my deck, and special summon, Elemental Hero Groun Neos! Next I activate a Field Spell, Neo Space!"

The area then began to change, as a multi-colored background appeared around them. "This makes it so any Fusions from Contact Fusion involving Neos don't get sent back to my Fusion Deck at the End Phase. It also increases the attack points of my Elemental Hero Groun Neos by 500 Points! Now I activate Heated Heart! I can increase the attack of one of my monsters by 500 points!" Groun Neos began to glow with a flame-like aura, increasing its attack to 3500.

Areka looked at the field, and immediately began laughing hysterically. "Nice job, but you've run out of cards, and the best you can do is destroy my Leo, which will only lower my Life Points by 500! I'll still have 600 left, but next turn, you'll run out! I win!"

Judai smirked eagerly. "I'm not done, you think my Groun Neos doesn't have an effect?" Areka's eyes widened. He wasn't done yet? "I activate its effect, I can send on monster on the field back to the owner's hand, and I choose Fallen Angel Leo!" Leo shone brightly, emanating a white light, and then shrunk back into a card form, and into Areka's hand. Areka gasped in surprise, she was now wide open!

"And sine your Leo is gone, your Ash is no longer protected from attacks!" Judai declared happily. "So now, Groun Neos, attack Happiness Angel Ash! Destroy it and end this duel!" Groun Neos's arm began spinning like a drill, as the Hero sped towards Ash. Groun Neos then thrusted its arm forward, and into Ash's midsection, destroying it in a ball of flame. The force of the blast knocked Areka backwards, lowering her LP to 0, and ending the duel.

"I win, now hand over your medals, and any information you have!" Judai demanded. But he stopped, when Areka began wobbling back and forth. She lifted her head, and Judai saw her eyes roll up and she fell backwards, unconscious. "Hey, you ok? HEY!"

Saiou and his subordinates sat in silence, not believing at what had just transpired. Saiou then smirked, and began applauding. "Well done, Judai! You have just shown me more power of your deck! I can't wait to acquire your abilities." He cackled evilly, happy that, although Areka lost, she forced Judai to show a new creature.

He stood up and began to leave, when Asuka stood up. "Wait! I'm sorry, Saiou-sama. My duelist wasn't powerful enough. Please, let her stay in the Society. Don't punish her it's my fault for sending her after Judai. I'll accept full responsibility." She lowered her head, waiting for the punishment.

Saiou looked at her surprised. He lifted her head with his finger and looked into her eyes. "Asuka, you must learn that some people must be sacrificed. It's not your fault, you must be willing to drop any liabilities." His eyes began to glow their eerie purple glow, and Asuka soon began to feel herself drifting again.

"Asuka. Asuka" a voice called inside Asuka's mind. "Why do you stick up for your subordinates?"

"It's my fault, I ordered her to find and duel Judai. It's my fault I overestimated her abilities," she explained.

"You are a queen. You do not hold responsibility for a failure of one of your court. It's no one's fault but the subordinate and the opponent."

"But…I must take responsibility…"

"No, you must realize that sacrifices must be made to win overall. Or do you feel sorry not for your subordinate, but for your opponent?" The visage of Judai appeared in front of her. At first her face softened at the boy's goofy grin, but then the light of the voice began to glow brightly, and then she lost control. Her mouth spoke of its own accord.

"I shall do whatever it takes to annihilate Yuki Judai."

"I shall do whatever it takes to annihilate Yuki Judai," Asuka said emotionlessly.

"That's a good girl," Saiou smirked. "Manjoume!"

"Yes, Saiou-sama?"

"I need you to come here. We have need of your resources, as we need s few items for our fight against Judai."

"Whatever it is, I shall do it!" Manjoume told him instantly. Saiou showed Manjoume the laptop screen and Manjoume licked his lips, and began cackling maliciously. "Consider it done," Manjoume told his master.

**AJ**: I think this chapter is a great improvement over the last one.

**Bil**: Though I don't agree with you often, I must say, that is true. Course, you're the idiot who wanted to post the first one originally.

**AJ**: Yeah, I'll take the discredit of that one. Hopefully this one is better.

**Bil**: Not likely.


	8. The Enemy of My Enemy

**AJ**: Back for another Round! What will the aftermath of the duel between Areka and Judai consist of?

**Bil**: Who cares?

**AJ**: The people who read the story…and me for that matter, regardless of the people who read the story.

**Bil**: Whatever.

**AJ**: You can be a real downer, you know that?

**Bil**: It's a gift. XD

**Chapter 7: The Enemy of My Enemy**

Areka felt herself lying on a cold hard surface. The young girl stirred in her sleep, or was it? It was all a blur, like she was inside her body, but was unable to control her body. It was like watching a TV screen. The strange thing was, she couldn't remember anything that happened in the last few weeks. She tried to think, but her throbbing head didn't allow her to do so.

Areka also felt sick, extremely sick, and cold. The only thing she could remember from her 'dream' was a purple light. But the illumination was freezing her insides. The more she desired to move from the light, the brighter the glow shone, and the more she was drawn to it, despite her insides feeling like ice.

She tried desperately to remember what had happened, but all she could remember the cold feeling, and the glimmer. Suddenly, she remembered something else. Her brain strained at the sudden backlash of images flowing into her mind's eye. She saw herself losing to Asuka in the Obelisk Blue Girl's Dorm's duel arena, and losing. Then her mind showed the cold light she remembered.

After a moment, the purple glint diminished, and she saw a monster charging at her with a drill-like arm stabbing at her. There was someone else behind the monster. She noticed an unbuttoned red jacket, and jeans. She strained to look at the child she was dueling, and then saw the figure had brown hair. But who was that, and what was she dueling him in the forest? And how'd she get there, in the first place?

'First things first' she thought, 'I need to get warm, I can barely feel my body.' As if to answer her wish, a new light appeared against her closed eyes. It was faint, but she did notice the difference of the color. She then felt warmth, and slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but she noticed an orange flicker a few feet away from her. She inched towards the light, to eliminate the coldness from, whatever that other light was. She inched closer, and closer to the light, but couldn't get her insides warm.

She then heard a faint voice, as if she was being called from over a great distance. "Hey, you're awake, are ya?" She ignored the voice, only thinking about warming herself up, she moved closer. It was still no good; her insides were still cold. She moved closer.

"Hey, what're you doing? Get away from there!" 'What does it look like? Trying to get warm!' she tried to say, but her mouth seemed to be numb from the chill, as well. She ignored the voice, once again, inching closer to the orange light, which she was nearly upon now.

"WAKE UP, DAMMIT!" She then found herself covered in water, and snapped awake.

"HUH!?" Areka gasped quickly. She shook her head, and rubbed her eyes. She removed her hands from her eyes, and looked around. "Where…am I?" she asked, worriedly. "What was that orange light, and where is it?" she asked, through chattering teeth. She began rubbing her arms to get warm.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" a male voice shouted from behind her. She whipped around, and saw the unbuttoned red jacket, blue jeans, and brown hair from her visions. She saw the face, and realized who it was.

"Yuki Judai? What're you doing here? And why am I out here? Did you kidnap me!?!?" She began to fire one question after another at him.

He stopped her by throwing a towel into her face. "Clean yourself up, you're all wet," he ordered. She looked at the towel, and looked at Judai; he was not happy. But all the classes she had with him, which were many, as she was in the second year also, he had never sounded angry. She decided that her questions should wait, as she did not know what he would do in his current mood.

She began to wipe herself off, when she noticed her clothing, as Judai attempted to restart the fire, which she realized she had been extremely close to. She finished drying her hair, and began to wipe off her legs, when she gasped. "My clothes…they're white!"

"Don't remind me," Judai called over his shoulder, as he finally got the fire going again. She pursed her lips at his crude response, but said nothing. She then noticed he had some canned food with him. He began warming up the containers.

"I don't eat instant soup," she said haughtily.

"Well its all we got, so its either that or nothing," the boy barked back. She recoiled at his harsh tone. What could've annoyed the boy so much?

"Well, anyways, I'm going back to the dorms," she declared.

"Good luck with that," Judai responded. "I tried to find the path to the dorms and the school, but I couldn't find anything. I never knew this island to be so damn big." She looked at Judai, stunned.

Areka looked around, and realized he was right. She never remembered ever being in this area of the forest before. She decided she would stay where she was, and ditch Judai when she got the chance. Then she would try to get the loser in trouble, as it is obvious it was his fault they were where they were.

"Where are they?" Judai questioned, after a few minutes of silence.

"Where are who?" she retorted.

"You know who! Asuka, Manjoume, Misawa, Saiou, where are they hiding now?"

"I have never heard of the name 'Saiou', what are you talking about?"

"Don't lie!" Judai shouted, obviously getting annoyed. Areka felt herself shrink, and her eyes began to water. He then asked more quietly, though he was enraged, "I'll ask again, where are my friends? Where is the Society's hideout?"

Society? What is he talking about? I have no clue where I am, and yet I'm being interrogated by this idiot. "TELL ME!" he demanded.

"I DON'T KNOW!" she cried, tearfully.

"That's enough, Judai!" another male voice called from the forest. "It's futile to try to get anything from her."

Stepping through the brush, came Edo Phoenix. Areka gasped, hoping that her 'knight in shining armor' had come to get rid of this brute. "I already defeated two other Ra's. When I questioned the two of them, they didn't know anything. Saiou seems to have a failsafe system, where the people in his Society don't remember anything, if they are beaten in this tournament."

"I don't care," Judai stated. "She promised to give me information on my friends if she lost, and I'm gonna get it." Judai placed his angered face, right in front of hers. "Now, where are my friends, 'Princess'?" Areka began sobbing heavily, stressed from not remembering anything, and frightened by the look in Judai's visage

Edo grabbed Judai, and spun the youth around to face him. Edo grabbed Judai by the jacket. "Snap out of it, you fool!" he ordered. "You're not acting any better than Saiou is right now! Look at her! We have no idea what she has gone through, we can't force anything out of her, or she might have an emotional breakdown!" Judai glared at Edo, as the latter began tearing into him. Judai looked at Areka, and his face softened. He noticed the scared look on her face, and she was on the verge of tears.

Edo released Judai, and Judai bent down and looked at Areka. "I'm sorry for my actions," he said simply, and he went to prepare the dinner.

Edo crouched down in front of her, and began wiping her eyes with his handkerchief. "Be easy with him, he's had a rough few months," the pro duelist told her. "He hasn't been so depressed before in his life, you need to give him some room." She nodded slightly, feeling more comfortable, though still looked at Judai cautiously.

"Why are we out here in this forest?" she asked.

Edo looked at her. Then calmly stated, "Long story short, we're in a dueling tournament. It's taking place all over the island. You dueled Judai here, and lost to him." She then remembered being attacked by the drill-like armed monster. That must've been the last turn. But why doesn't she remember anything else?

"Do you know why I'm wearing white clothes?" she asked carefully, not knowing if she wanted an answer, the way Judai had responded to her statement earlier.

Edo bit his lip, knowing she had to be told, so she was on alert, but not knowing how to say it. "It's a long story, why don't we eat first?" She nodded, realizing he wanted to think of the best way to tell her.

They all sat down on logs, and began eating their soup. Though she'd rather have the warm home-cooked meals of her dorm, the meal wasn't bad. Judai had prepared the soups just right, not too hot, but not cold. When they had finished her meal, she again asked, "Why am I wearing white clothes?"

"What was the last thing you remember?" Edo asked, intently.

Areka closed her eyes, and putting the throbbing aside, tried to remember. "I…remember being attacked by Asuka's Benten in a duel arena. The rest is blank."

"I'll assume that was when the Society began attacking the Obelisk Girl's Dorm," Edo muttered. He began explaining to her all the things that have been happening while Areka had been out of it. He told her about the Society, Saiou, and the Genex Tournament. She listened closely, surprised what she was hearing. When Edo finished, she looked at Judai, somewhat understanding his anger and annoyance with her.

"So…I was part of this 'Society of Light'?" she asked.

"That's correct," Edo answered.

"And I had been sent out to duel Judai?"

"From what he has told me, that's what you said to him before you guys started."

Judai just looked at the fire. Areka noticed the pained look on his face, and decided not to press the issue with him. They were all silent for a few moments when Judai stood up. "What time is it?" he asked.

"It's about midnight." Edo told him.

"Let's go. I like the idea of traveling while under cover of darkness better than in broad daylight," he told the pro.

"That probably is the better idea," Edo answered, standing on his feet.

Areka looked at the two, as Judai emptied the bucket of water onto the fire. "Hey, what about me?"

Judai looked at her, exasperated. "What about you?" he questioned incredulously.

"You're not just gonna leave me here!" she shouted.

"And what are we supposed to do with you?" Judai growled.

"Take me with you, or something!"

"No!"

"Why not!?"

"It's too dangerous!"

"So what?"

"Whaddya mean 'so what'? I may not be friends with you, since all you Obelisk's do is poke fun at me, but I'm not gonna let anyone else get hurt!"

"ENOUGH!" Edo shouted. The two stopped immediately. Edo looked at Areka. "Judai's right, Areka, if you come with us, you will be in great danger."

"I don't care! What are you going to do, leave me in the middle of a forest?"

Edo sighed. He failed to realize that, if they didn't know where they were, how was a person who had just regained their senses going to know. He looked at Judai. "You CAN'T be siding with her. Weren't you the one who said that 'We need to do this ourselves'?"

"She's just going to come with us until we find some place for her to stay. She won't be any trouble." Edo looked at Areka. "Tell him you won't be any trouble."

She quickly nodded. Judai sighed. "I know when I'm outvoted." He turned to Areka. "If we get into any kind of trouble, you get away from us, FAST," he told her.

The three got up and began walking aimlessly into the forest, hoping they would be able to find a dorm, any dorm, soon.

Saiou sat in his command center, checking the results of the tournament on his laptop. He brought up a photo of Edo, and read the boy's stats to himself. "2-0, Duelist levels: both Ra's, 5 medals, total. Ranked 12th overall." The pro had easily taken down two of his duelists. He licked his lips, reading his former friend's information. He wanted both him and Judai under his control, but Edo he wanted to take himself. He wanted Edo when the time was right. He knew that he could defeat Edo's deck, but he wanted to wear down the pro first. He was also waiting for the surprise he was going to introduce to Judai and Edo. He had sent Manjoume to run some errands, earlier in the day. The leader of his duelists had returned and had already defeated 3 duelists, one of them a pro. He was ranked 2nd with 8 medals. Asuka and Misawa had 6 medals apiece, each winning 2 duels.

He closed the window, and brought up Judai's information. "1-0, Duelist level: Obelisk, 4 medals total, Ranked 23rd." He grinned, wishing to see Judai's face now. He was eager to see what would happen when he was forced to duel his friends in the worst possible environment for him. "Soon, my boy. Soon you will face your greatest decision. Will you choose yourself, or your friends?" He chuckled, evilly, unable to contain his glee.

He was interrupted by the opening of another window on his screen, revealing one of his Obelisks. "What is it?"

"We've contacted the duelist you requested, we began to give him your offer, but he said he wanted to talk to you personally," the student explained.

Saiou smirked. Everything was going as he had foreseen. "Put him on," he ordered. Saiou then clicked a few buttons, and brought up the information on the number one duelist in the tournament, 'Hell Kaiser' Marufuji Ryo. The visage of Ryo appeared on the screen. "3-0. Duelist levels: 2 Professionals and one Obelisk, 11 medals total, ranked 1st. Quite a resume, Hell Kaiser."

"What do you want?" Ryo barked. "I'm a very busy man."

"Just the same thing you want, Kaiser, the destruction of Yuki Judai."

"Yes, I want to defeat him, but from what I've heard from some, you're not to be trusted," Ryo stated flatly. "If you'll excuse me."

"Just hear my proposal. I have a plan to bring the boy to his knees, if you would be willing to offer me your services for a duel."

Ryo stopped. It seemed he was weighing his desire to win against his duelist's pride. After a few moments he said, "I'll listen to your proposal."

"Alright, all I need for you to do is to duel your brother, Marufuji Sho. My leader of the forces, Manjoume Jun, is coming to meet you to give the supplies to you with which you will duel."

"And what supplies do I need other than my duel disk?" Saiou pressed a few buttons, sending the information via internet to Ryo's screen. Ryo looked to the side, reading the printout, and his eyes widened. "Where did you get these?"

"You can get anything you want with a little money, my friend, if you'll let me call you that."

Ryo stared into the screen. He mulled over his options, 'Do I really want to defeat Judai this badly?' He then remembered his last duel, the only mark on his record at Duel Academy, a tie with Yuki Judai. He had entered the PDL with the people talking about that one duel. The people kept saying that the duelists he beat weren't all that great, and that if Judai was dueling with his instincts, instead of his head, from the start he would've lost that duel, and when he started dueling the 'Big Boys' he wouldn't stand a chance. He was then defeated by Edo, which started his fall into the Under League, all the while, his tie with Judai showing that he was nothing.

A smile slowly stretched across the professional's face. He licked his lips. "I will duel Sho. Just make sure that I am Judai's opponent when the time is right. Make no mistake, as soon as Judai is out of the way, you and your Society will be my next target."

"My sentiments exactly." Saiou was overjoyed inside. He now had the most powerful duelist in the entire tournament, maybe the entire world, working along with him.

**AJ**: I know I'm gonna be burned for this…

**Bil**: Well, you take the fire alone. I highly doubt Ryo would ever join The Society.

**AJ**: Technically he isn't 'joining' them, just working towards a common goal with them.

**Bil**: Uh-huh.

**AJ**: Well, anyways, I hope everyone will read the next chapter, if they weren't angered and bored by this one too much…

**Bil**: Bet they will, loser.


	9. Revelations

**AJ**: 'On Call' tonight, do you know what that means?

**Bil**: Hmm…don't know, don't care. How's that?

**AJ**: You're cold…very cold.

**Bil**: Indeed.

**Chapter 8: Revelations**

'Why me?' Judai thought. He had this thought several times over the course of the last couple days. 'Why is this island so big? Why aren't there any signs? Why can't I find the Society's hideout? WHY DID EDO AND I HAVE TO SPLIT UP!?'

Indeed, Edo and Judai had been searching the island for two days since they met up. They never realized the island was so big, and they apparently were on the wrong side of it. Every time they thought they found a path, however, it led them in a giant circle. The two duelists decided that they would split up after a good night's sleep. ''Let's take a break,' he said. 'We need to keep our strength up,' he said. That lying piece of trash,' Judai complained in his head. Judai had agreed with Edo's suggestion, but Edo, being the kind young man that he is, left in the middle of the night, leaving Judai with…

"C'mon…" Areka whined.

"No," Judai stated flatly, as he continued walking.

"Why not?"

"'Cause I said so."

"But I wanna…"

"Too bad."

"Please?" She ran ahead of him and looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, hoping that she could convince him.

Judai just walked by her. "Yeesh…it's not like it's going to kill you…" she muttered. "Why can't we take a break?" she called.

Judai turned to look at her, slightly annoyed. "The faster we find one of the dorms, the sooner you can get some rest," the boy explained in a quite, calm voice. "Now, please, just for a little while…**SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!**" And with that, he turned and walked away.

Areka sighed, and continued following Judai. She would've ditched the loser by now, but they hadn't seen anyone for nearly 2 days, and she had absolutely no idea where they were. She just knew they were on Academia Island. 'Man, what an anal person! And from what I heard, Judai was supposed to be nice, even when we taunted and made fun of him when we were in class, he was always ok with it.'

She suddenly slammed into Judai's back and stumbled back a few steps. "Hey! Why don't you tell me when you're going---" she started, when Judai placed his hand over her mouth. He placed his finger over his mouth, motioning for her to be silent. He crept over to the bushes, and pushed the underbrush aside. He peered through the hole he had made.

Areka sneaked over to where Judai was, and looked over his shoulder. She saw a river, and several teenage girls lying around near it. 'It's the river to the girls' dorm!' she thought, overjoyed. They were finally near civilization! She let out a squeal of glee.

Judai looked at her. "This isn't necessarily a good thing," he whispered.

Areka would have none of it, however. "Whaddya mean 'Not good'? It's great! Finally, I don't need you anymore, you jerk!" she shouted.

All the girls nearby suddenly sat up, and began to scream. "Pervert!" they shouted. This was followed by an uproar, with all the girls in the area running around in a panic. Judai slapped his forehead and glared at Areka, who realized she had made a grave mistake. "Nice going," he sighed. Areka was about to give a response, when Judai grabbed her wrist, and began running in the direction they had come.

"Edo! I hope to God you're having a lot better luck than we are!" Judai screamed to no one in particular.

Edo walked alone in the forest, deep in thought. He had ditched the fan-girl, and left her with Judai. He had thought Judai was annoying, but the girl just kept asking him inconsequential questions, hoping that she could get to know him better. He might not have showed it as much as Judai, but he had quite enough of the girl.

Besides, he worked better alone. He liked it better when he didn't have to rely on anyone else but himself. No one to screw him up but himself, and he had never failed when he attempted to do something by himself. He was the one of the best duelists in the world in a one-on-one match. Sure, Saiou had been his friend, but he was only a manager. He had never been in his duels.

Edo sighed. He missed the old Saiou, the one who befriended Edo as a child. They had always confided in one another, but now they were enemies. This had made Edo secluded. He remembered when the two used to talk with each other constantly. Saiou had a warmth in his voice that had brought people to him. He just emanated kindness, though he was a quiet person. His kindness even spread into others, it was a gift he had. Now instead, he spread coldness into his followers.

A twig snapped, knocking Edo out of his daydreaming. He bolted behind a tree, keeping his ears open for any noise. A small group of young duelists began walking towards him. They wore white, signifying their allegiance to the new Saiou. He noticed their mouths were moving, and he strained his ears to listen to the duelists' conversation.

"---yeah, I heard that…" one of the duelists' spoke.

"But did you know that a Pro duelist is working with us now? Rumor has it, it's Hell Kaiser, Marufuji Ryo."

"No way!"

"I, for one, don't trust him. 'Working for' and 'working with' are two totally different things. And I heard that once that slime, Judai, is gone, that he will be against us again." The stopped for a moment, as one of them tied his shoe.

"Yeah, but he's also a great asset. He is one of the greatest duelists on the island. I heard that he will help us capture those two kids."

'Kids? He must mean Judai and myself,' Edo thought. Then another spoke.

"Yeah, I can't believe they're buddies with that buffoon yet we're in the same dorm. Who would've thought? But once we get them, then we have ALL of Yuki's friends. The fool will then be ours for the taking." They began to laugh maliciously as they began to walk off.

"What about that Edo guy?"

"Saiou-sama said to leave that to him, but I say---" They walked out of earshot. Edo leaned back against the tree. 'So, it appears they want to emotionally shatter Judai,' he thought. 'They can't be serious! Saiou knows who Judai used to be. He has to know that he may be in more than he bargained for!'

When Edo was sure he was out of danger, he began to silently follow the young duelists. By 'the kids who were buddies with Judai, yet in our dorm' he deduced that they were Ra Yellow students, like that Marufuji and Kenzan. He wasn't too keen to start with the lowest ranked dorm under Saiou's control, but it was somewhere to start, and he could get to the other dorms, once he found the Ra dorm or so he hoped.

Judai led Areka swiftly through the forest. "Will you hurry up!?" he shouted, worriedly.

"What's the hurry? They're just Obelisk girls. Is there something wrong with your head?" she called.

"IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOURS!?" he demanded annoyed. "Or did you not notice the white clothes they were wearing?!" He continued dashing through the forest, narrowly dodging needles from the bushes, when he got a pit-like feeling in his gut. He had learned that his instincts were never wrong, so he skidded to a halt.

Areka dropped to her knees, out of breath. "Now what?" she panted. She had quite enough of this boy's foolishness. She had noticed the white clothes, she just didn't want to believe his story. She didn't want to believe someone would've controlled people's minds, just by beating them in a duel. She didn't want to believe she was forced to do things against her will.

"You're so damn naïve!" he told her angrily. He then looked up the road and saw a silhouette in the distance. He didn't want to find out who it was, so he grabbed Areka's arm and walked back towards the dorms.

"Why are we going back to the Girl's dorms, if they're dangerous?" she demanded, extremely annoyed.

"The other ways are blocked, I can sense it," he explained hastily, not caring if she believed him or not. He began to move faster, before she could ask another question.

He then saw a group coming in the other direction. He thought about deciding to jump into the river, when he realized, they wouldn't have screamed if they thought no one was there. They would recognize that SOMEONE was around. They would search the rivers, and probably get them both caught.

He could either sacrifice Areka, or escape himself. His mind began fighting between his escape, and continuation of his mission, or being the 'good-guy' and get himself captured.

Judai groaned. "Why do I always have to play the hero!?"

Areka was about to ask him what he meant, when the boy pushed her into the bushes. She fell backwards, when she suddenly felt no more ground, and splashed into the water. She sunk towards the bottom. 'That's it, Yuki! This is the last straw!'

She sprung off the bottom of the lake, and swam towards the surface. She then saw Judai surrounded by the girls, and at first began climbing out of the water. But then Areka noticed the girls' eyes were cold. They reminded her of the purple light that had blocked her vision for so long. She decided to just watch what would happen.

Judai stared at the ripples, praying that she would stay under the surface, when he was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder, and spun around. He found himself facing 15-20 girls dressed in white garments, bearing metal rods and large branches, glaring at him. The boy rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I didn't know I had this big of a fan club," he said sheepishly.

"Were you spying on us at the river?" one demanded.

"Now, now, ladies," Judai started, waving his hands hastily, "it's not what you---" All their eyes suddenly began widening, and screamed, as if he were some type of disease.

"It's the Yuki-kid!"

"Grab him and take him to Saiou-sama!"

Judai ducked, dodged, and rolled his way out of the grasp of the violent women. He stood up behind them, and was about to turn around, when he heard "JUDAI!!!" It was a voice he never wanted to hear, especially in his present state. Everything was still, as Judai slowly turned his head, begging with the powers that be that it wouldn't be who he thought it was. But it WAS she.

Asuka glared at him, even more coldly than she did before, even though Judai didn't think it was possible. He could hardly believe that the woman he was looking at, the one who he had dreamed since the middle of last year, was Asuka. 'How can someone so beautiful make such an ugly face?' he wondered.

"To what do we owe the dishonor, you pathetic excuse of a man?" she asked coldly, as Judai felt his arms being placed behind his back, to secure him.

Judai couldn't look her in the eye. He just couldn't see her as she was any more. "What have they done to you?" he thought aloud.

"THEY haven't done anything!" she shouted harshly. "THEY have accepted me, and took me in as their own! THEY haven't tried to weaken me!"

"Weaken you? What have I ever done to weaken you? What have I ever done, but respect you!?"

"You tried to make me vulnerable. You tried to make me trustful, but let me tell you something, a duelist and a queen like me needs nothing more than her own abilities. Everyone else is just a pawn!"

"Listen to yourself! This isn't the Asuka I know! She would never use anyone or walk over anyone! She isn't a selfish, arrogant, cowardly, little child that I see before me! She was a caring, kind person, always worrying about others before herself, even when she was missing her brother!" He looked her in the eyes this time.

"That Asuka is gone! I am a new and improved Asuka, one that will become the greatest female duelist this world have ever seen!" she shouted, now inches in front of his face.

"The only thing you have become is a snobbish, whiney brat!" His head suddenly jerked to the side. He felt a stinging pain on his right cheek, heard a ringing in his ears, felt his stomach plummet to his legs, and felt someone stab him in his heart, all at once. His eyes widened, not believing what she had done. He felt water gather into his eyes. Not only had he lost one of his best friends, but the one he had loved. He raised his head, to clarify that she indeed had slapped him. What he saw surprised him even more than the slap. It made a smile grow on his face.

Asuka was looking at him sadly. She even had tears building in her eyes. She was exasperated and shocked at what she had just done. She lowered her head after a few seconds, and motioned to one of her subordinates. She turned away from Judai.

He didn't care, though. Even if it was only a few seconds, she had been sad. She wasn't completely under Saiou's control yet! He still might change her back without dueling her! He found new life.

He then felt a big, cold thud against the back of his head that almost made his eyes bulge out of his head. Judai's world started spinning and darkening. He careened towards the ground, but still, he didn't care. He smiled to himself, and said out loud, "I'll save you…Asuka…" Then, he knew no more.

AJ: I think that was an emotional ending, no? 

**Bil**: No.

**AJ**: Don't copy me.

**Bil**: I wasn't, Moron. I was saying it wasn't emotional. Idiot.

**AJ**: Says you.

**Bil**: My opinion is the only one that matters to me.

**AJ**: Remind me again why you're my master?


	10. The Logic of Destiny

**AJ**: Whoo-hoo! Double Post! Alright!

**Bil**: And you're celebrating because…?

**AJ**: Don't know, really, seeing as how my Misawa character's gonna suck big, hairy…

**Bil**: Don't need that much info. Besides, you won't make it.

**AJ**: Yeah, you're probably right.

Chapter 9: The Logic of Destiny 

"It's supposed to be easy!" Asuka sobbed in her room. She had been crying, but the funny thing was, she had absolutely no clue why she cried. 'Was it because I hit Judai?' she thought

'No, that can't be it!' another part of her said.

'Then why did I feel so sick after slapping him?' Asuka fell onto her bed. She was so confused. She was emotionally spent. She replayed the image in her head. Judai had just called her a brat, when she slapped him so hard, it almost sounded like a gunshot.

At first, she felt glad, but then she noticed Judai's face. His cheek bore a large red handprint. His pupils had shrunk to a third of their size. His face fell. His eyes began watering up with tears. Then, it was as if a giant wave had hit her. She felt her heart drop deep into her lower body. It seemed like she had dropped down into a pit.

She felt sick, extremely sick. All her emotions flowed back into her, and her eyes began to tear up. Had she really hit someone? Not just anyone, but Yuki Judai? She quickly lowered her head, so no one saw her in her embarrassing state. She told someone to knock him out, but when she heard the thud against his head, she felt like she had been hit along with him.

Then, she heard him say it. She heard him say something that made her so confused. '_I'll save you…Asuka…'_ Those words reverberated in her mind and, strangely enough, her heart. She couldn't believe he had said that. Save her from what? This was where she wanted to be, wasn't it? To be in charge of the Girl's Dorm, and be one of the best duelists in the school, that was always her goal.

'No it wasn't,' part of her mind told her. 'You were always a model for the school, but you had never sacrificed or hurt others on the way up there.'

She sat in silence alone in her room, laying facedown in a pillow. She kept replaying the slap in her mind, each time feeling more miserable. "Why do I keep dwelling on him? What is wrong with me!" she shouted to no one in particular. Even though she had all her fellow Society members to talk to, waiting on her every whim, she had never felt so alone in her life. The darkness of the room seemed perfect for her mood.

'It's because…you love him,' a warm voice in her mind stated.

She lifted her head off the pillow. Did she really love him? Was she willing to risk her position in the society for him?

"I…" she started. She remembered all the times with the Society. How she had shunned her friends. She remembered when she attacked the Obelisk Blue Girls' Dorm. She remembered being taught how to be a 'true' queen, and how to duel 'properly'. She remembered how, although she had her fellow members, she never really had anyone to talk to. She even remembered her deep desire to make Judai pay for trying to lower her defense, but was that really bad?

"I…" She remembered her times with Kenzan, Judai, and Sho. She remembered how lonely she was last year without Fubuki, and Judai's happy-go-lucky yet passionate attitude had filled that void. She remembered Judai's duels with Cronos, Manjoume, Misawa, Kaiser, the Seven Stars, and Kagemaru. She remembered the first time she met the boy face to face, and how many times he rescued her.

"I…I…I don't want to be like this anymore," she finally stated. She decided to go meet Saiou, and asked to be allowed to leave the Society of Light, believing that he would understand her. She got up off her bed, walked to the door, and left her bedroom.

Edo lightly dropped to the ground from the air duct to the floor, and immediately backed up against a wall. He slid along the wall down the darkness of the hallway silently. He had successfully gotten into the Ra Yellow Dorm, which wasn't a surprise, considering it was nearly midnight, and nearly everyone was bound to be asleep.

He crept to the end of the hallway, and paused. He pressed his ear against the double doors at the end of the hallway, and listened for any movement. After a few moments, he heard nothing, and slowly pushed the door open, making sure that he wasn't being watched. He looked around, and noticed that he was in the cafeteria.

"How quaint," he muttered. He paused for another moment, rechecking to make sure he wasn't followed, and continued into the room. He stepped forward, carefully watching for any sudden movements. Suddenly, he stepped on a loose tile, an a giant metal plate slid down in front of the double doors, shutting him inside.

'Great. Trapped.' He thought to himself. 'Well, I may as well try looking for something while I'm here, before I get cozy for the night.'

He began inspecting every inch of the wall, and floors. The eatery had no windows, which he found very odd, but kept looking around. After nearly an hour of searching, he plopped onto the table, exhausted.

'Damn, this is tiring,' he mused to himself. 'Course, I hadn't slept in almost 24 hours.' He slowly began closing his eyes, when he turned to his side. His eyes immediately widened. "It can't be THAT obvious," he muttered, but he sneaked over to the far wall.

'How'd I miss this section?' but then waved the thought off. He began inspecting it and then realized, the wall was actually farther back than the rest of it, if only by a half inch. He stood back, searching for a switch to open it. When he ran his hand up the side of the imprint of the wall, he hit a bump.

He wiped his brow. He was so close. This was hardly an effort for him. It was ease itself to follow those Ra brats, and then wait till cover of night to sneak in a window, climb into the air duct, and crawl his way to the area his communicator had been sensing some electronic activity. His hand slowly reached for the button.

He stopped. This was easy. "Almost TOO easy," he said aloud. How can Saiou have no guards here, if this was important as it seemed to be? He couldn't put any security cameras, but you'd think he'd at least have someone here. He suddenly felt that he had been set up. 'What to do now?' he puzzled.

He contemplated for a moment, and then s grin spread across his face. "Guess I'll spring the trap," he said. And with that, he hit the button. The wall started to separate in two and spread into the sides of the wall. He watched as a hallway appeared from behind where the wall once was.

Edo slowly crept down the narrow passage, and reached a door opened slightly with a light coming from within. He pushed the door open some more, and saw that the light had come from a computer screen.

"Ok, this HAS to be a setup. But why make it so obvious?" Edo shook his head. "Well, I got this far. May as well go check out what's on the screen." He slid into the room silently, walked over to the chair, and plopped onto it.

He began searching through all the files, looking for anything interesting. "Duelist Files, Society numbers, Tournament Results," the pro muttered as the screen flickered with different items every few seconds and buttons. He then came upon the purple tinged SL logo, which most likely meant the Society.

He clicked on the file. He found duelist reports on himself, Judai, as well as all other Society members still active in the tournament. Then he stopped at a file that did not have a name. He double-clicked the file, and gasped at what he saw.

"Where did Saiou get the money for this!?" he exclaimed.

It was plans for Dueling Shackles. They were programmed to shock duelists when they took damage. But they were still under construction. He heard that only the Under League had them, and that they were highly dangerous. "He doesn't really expect us to duel him wearing those, does he?" Edo asked. He saw another file unnamed, and he clicked on that one.

It was plans for a ship, a ship large enough for a duel arena on it. "This is unbelievable." Edo said, stunned. The ship was offshore of Duel Academia. "Well, it's fairly obvious where Saiou is now." He grabbed a memory stick from his belt, and placed it into a USB slot. He began copying and downloading the information into the memory bank.

A beacon then went off on the computer. "Now, what?" Edo sighed. He clicked on the signal, hoping nobody heard the loud beep. "An e-mail from the Girls' Dorm?" he inquired aloud, interested. He opened the file, and saw trouble. "Oh, great. The idiot had to go and get himself captured," he muttered. But he did not see that they captured a girl. "He must've somehow gotten the girl to go away…" He felt slightly ashamed, as Edo had left Areka with Judai.

Another signal went off, this time on his belt, signaling the download was finished. He took the memory stick from the computer, when he heard a voice say, "Leaving so soon?"

Edo whipped around, straining his eyes against the darkness of the corner. He saw a foot step forward, and then a figure step into the faint light of the computer screen. It was Misawa. "Why don't you read the rest of the Society's plans, it was very interesting watching your reaction to the plans of the Society's Battleship."

"Not a very creative name," Edo remarked.

"It'll get the job done. It will eliminate the traitorous bitch AND the foolish bastard," Misawa smirked.

"Traitorous…?" Edo inquired.

Misawa began laughing hysterically. "You don't need to know that right now. Right now, you need to prepare yourself. Come with me."

"I don't take orders from anybody," Edo sneered.

"Well, if you plan to get out of here, I suggest you do," Misawa grunted. Edo had forgotten, the only exit out of the cafeteria had been blocked. So he decided to follow the Saiou-controlled Misawa.

"Tell me, you believe in destiny correct?" Misawa questioned, as they walked down a hallway.

"Yes," Edo said.

"As I thought. It is logical, after all. How can one NOT believe in destiny? The future has already been determined, whether we will be good or bad, leaders or followers, join the police or becoming a murderer. It cannot be changed, no matter how you hard you attempt to do so."

"Your point being?"

"My point is you're a smart individual. So why is it that you fight against us?" Misawa questioned.

"I'm fighting for Saiou. Not this one, but the previous one, who was a kind gentle person. We both believe in destiny, but there's one thing you lack that the old Saiou and myself believe. I almost lost it, but by dueling with and against Judai, I recovered that fact."

"And what fact is that?"

"The fact that, although everything is predestined, and that destiny cannot be changed, destiny cannot be predicted. You can make guesses and determine tendencies based off of history, but you can never fully predicted destiny."

Misawa stopped and looked at Edo. Slowly, a grin spread across the intellect's face, and began laughing maniacally. "That is too rich," he choked. "You must know that every one of Saiou-sama's predictions has been correct."

"You forget my duel that I lost against Judai."

"A minor setback, but once we defeat him again, then he'll believe in Saiou-sama too, that is, if our plan doesn't eliminate him first. Now, we are here."

"Where's here?" A light suddenly ignited, and blinded him for a moment. He forgot how long he had been in the darkness. After a few moments, he removed his arm from shielding his eyes, and saw a duel arena. Misawa slowly walked and stood at one end of the field.

"Come, I will show you the folly of your beliefs, and in turn bathe you in the light that we know and you will come to honor."

"Normally I'd decline, but seeing as I can't go back until I beat you, I'll make an exception."

They placed their decks into their duel disks. The duel disks ignited, and the LP counter flashed a moment before showing the number 4000.

"I'll start," Edo called. "Draw! I'll start by summoning Destiny Hero Diamond Dude in attack mode! I'll activate his effect, I look at the top card of my deck, if it's a magic card, I send it to the graveyard, and activate it next turn. Otherwise, it gets sent to the bottom of my deck." He picked up one card. "I drew Graceful Charity! So it goes to the Graveyard! I'll set one facedown and end it there!"

"I shall go, Draw!" He glanced at his new card, before shouting, "I shall now summon the Mathematician! When he is summoned, I send the top card from my deck to the graveyard!" He picked the top card from his deck. "Atom of the Plasma Warrior to the graveyard! Now, Mathematician, attack his Diamond Dude!"

A multitude of numbers, figures, and equations began surrounding the elderly figure. The creature then pointed at the defenseless hearing, and the figures flew straight at it. The conjurations then caused an explosion, enveloping the hero, and docking Edo a hundred LP (Edo 3900, Misawa 4000).

"I shall end with two facedowns! Your move."

"Draw! I now activate Graceful Charity, thanks to my Destiny Hero! I draw 3 more cards, then discard 2!" He glanced at his 4 new cards, as well as the rest of his hand. "I'll send D-Hero Diabolic Guy and Mausoleum of the Emperor to the graveyard! Next I'll activate my Diabolic Guy's effect! By removing my Diabolic Guy from the game, I can special summon another one from my deck! Now, I'll sacrifice the Diabolic Guy on my field, and summon D-Hero Dasher! Dasher, attack his Mathematician!" Dasher began speeding towards the enemy at top speed.

"Trap Card open!" A large capped glass flask flew into the path of Dasher, hitting the ground and exploding. The Hero vanished without a trace.

Edo gasped. "What the hell was that!?" he shouted.

"That was my trap card Advanced Placement Chemistry. I can only activate this card when you declare an attack, when I do, the monster you're attacking with is destroyed, and you lose Life Points equal to half of your monsters attack points!" The smoke then blew at Edo as his LP meter dropped to 2850.

"Well, I'll answer with my trap card, Destiny Mirage! I can activate this when a D-Hero has been destroyed by a card effect and that hero returns to the field the same as before!" Dasher reappeared with a flash of light, back on the field. "Now, let's try this again, Dasher, attack his Mathematician!"

Dasher once again skated towards the Elder, this time it spun and connected with a roundhouse kick, causing the monster to shatter. The force of the kick knocked Misawa's LP down to 3400.

Misawa lowered his arms. "My monster's second effect activates, when its destroyed I draw another card." He did so.

"After his attack, Dasher is switched to defense mode, then I'll set a card and end it," Edo explained.

"My turn, Draw! I'll now activate Advanced Placement English! This magic card allows me to call out a card name, and if the card is within your deck, I add it to my hand! I declare the card name, Misfortune!" Edo snarled, before taking the card from his deck and handing it off. "Now you shuffle your deck." Edo did so, as Misawa continued, "Now I shall activate Misfortune, I'm sure you know its effect. I select a monster on your field, and then you take damage equal to half of that monster's attack points!" Dasher glowed with a light, as half of his attack points were sucked away from the creature. The energy was then sent back at Edo, and blew past him, knocking him backwards, and lowering his LP by another 1050 (Edo 1800, Misawa 3400).

"I'm not done, now I summon Junior Intellectual (1200/1000)." A small child with glasses in a school uniform appeared on the field, holding a staff. "Now, he'll attack your Dasher!" Misawa's creature took its staff, and ran towards Dasher. It vaulted off the ground via the pole, and flipped in the air, before driving the staff over Dasher's head, shattering the creature's vision.

"I'll now activate my trap card, Destiny Signal! I activate this when a monster on my field is destroyed, I can special summon from my deck one Level Four or lower Destiny Hero from my deck! I choose Captain Tenacious, in defense mode! And when he is on the field, on my next Standby Phase, I get to special summon a D-Hero destroyed in the previous turn!"

"Tch, I'll show you my deck is flawless. My brilliance now powered by destiny is more powerful than even you, Edo. I'll end with two more facedowns."

"I'll draw! Next I activate my Captain's effect, and I special summon Dasher back to the field!" Dasher once again appeared in a flash of light.

"Not this time, Edo! I activate Advanced Placement Biology! I activate this card when you summon a monster, the monster is then destroyed and sent to the graveyard!" A lion then appeared on the field, and sped at Dasher. The lion tackled the hero, and Dasher disappeared once again. "I told you, even your Heroes of Destiny cannot overpower my brilliant mind, now that Saiou's destiny allows me to think even more freely, as I know what is coming before it even happens!"

**AJ**: Meh, didn't finish the chapter last night. But I still got it done.

**Bil**: Don't make promises you can't keep, idiot.

**AJ**: …blow it out your ass…

**Bil**: What was that, Asshole!?!?

**AJ**: Nothing!


	11. Light of Ruin

**AJ**: Here's Part 2 of the Edo vs. Misawa duel. Will Edo be able to outmaneuver Misawa's AP and Intellect cards?

**Bil**: Indeed.

**AJ**: Will you quit getting the last word, for once?

**Bil**: No.

**AJ**: Why must you do that?

**Bil**: I don't know.

**AJ**: …

**Bil**: XD.

**Chapter 10: Light Of Ruin**

**(Edo's Life Points 1800, Misawa's Life Points 3400)**

Misawa grinned at the field. He had 2 facedowns and Junior Intellect on his field, while Edo had Captain Tenacious. 'It's still his turn,' the scholar thought, 'but nothing he can do will stop me from winning this duel. My victory has been foreseen.' He began to chuckle.

Edo's eyes narrowed. "What's so funny?" he puzzled.

"Oh, just thinking about your first duel with Judai, about how impressed I was with your Destiny Heroes, and now I'm outthinking and outmaneuvering you without so much as breaking a sweat, now that I've begun following Saiou-sama and his truth, the truth of destiny. Please make your move, as I have many things to prepare for the fated duel between Judai and his vile woman."

"One question," Edo began, "you've talked harshly about a woman twice since we started. Is this woman…?"

"Don't make me say her name!" Misawa shot, sharply. "She has been given the greatest gift of seeing the light, and yet she's trying to turn it down, just because of her feelings towards Judai. We would've been better off just using her as bait originally, as I had said!"

'I got a lot more researching to do once this guy is defeated,' Edo mused, 'but first I have to eliminate him.' He looked at his hand, and smirked as he discovered a move in his hand.

"First I activate the magic card, Doctor-D! It allows me to remove from play one D-Hero from my graveyard. Then I'm allowed to special summon another D-Hero from my graveyard. I remove Diabolic Guy to special summon Dasher from my graveyard! I'll switch Captain Tenacious to attack mode, as well. Dasher, attack his Junior Intellect!" Dasher again sped towards the enemy monster, and landed a swift kick to his midsection, which shattered the creature. The force of the kick blew into Misawa's face, causing him to lose 900 Life Points.

He was stunned, but only for a moment, before he clicked a button on his duel disk, "Trap Card Activate, Advanced Placement History! This card allows me to special summon a monster immediately after its destroyed in battle back to my field! So now Junior Intellect comes back to my field!"

Edo frowned. " Dasher goes to defense mode. I'll end my turn."

"Draw! I activate Junior Intellect's special ability at my Standby Phase! I get to sacrifice him to special summon one Medium Intellect (1600/1000) from my hand, deck, or graveyard!" A male in his early twenties holding an old-looking book appeared on the field. The man wore a white robe that looked like a graduation gown. "Now, Medium Intellect's effect activates! He can return one card on the field to the opponent's hand, when he's summoned. I'll return Dasher to your hand." Edo's hero began to glow with a yellow light, before shrinking into card size, and reentering his hand. "Then I'll activate Pot of Greed, and draw two cards!" He looked at the cards. "Medium Intellect, attack his Captain!" Misawa's creature began chanting a few words, as his eyes began to glow silver. The book then glowed brightly, and a beam shot at the hero, causing an explosion within which the Captain disappeared. Edo was docked another 800 Life Points (Edo 1000, Misawa 2500). "I end."

"Draw! I activate the Magic Card D-Spirits. When my field has no Destiny Heroes on it, I can use this card, and it allows me to special summon one with a level of four or lower from my hand. I'll special summon Disk Guy! Next, I'll sacrifice him to summon a recurring hero, Dasher! Dasher, attack Medium Intellect!" Dasher sped towards the weaker creature, and raised its leg to kick the monster.

"I activate my trap card, Advanced Placement Government! It makes it so all the monsters on my field can't be destroyed in battle for the rest of this turn!" Dasher sliced a kick right through the intellectual, but the monster was only knocked to the ground, before it got up after a moment. Misawa, however, wasn't saved from the Life Point deduction, lowering him to 2000.

"Dasher goes to defense, and I set a card. Turn end."

"Draw! Now I activate Medium Intellect's special ability! By sacrificing him in my Standby Phase, I get to special summon from my deck, hand, or graveyard a Major Intellectual (2200/1600)!" A middle-aged man wearing a white suit, bearing glasses, and an old book. "When he's special summoned to the field, I can destroy one monster on the field, and I'm choosing Dasher!" Ancient runes began appearing underneath and around Dasher, before a pillar of white fire enveloped the D-Hero, incinerating it. "Now, I'll end this, attack directly, Major Intellectual!"

The runes began appearing around and underneath Edo, immediately before the attack occurred, Edo shouted, "I activate D-Fortune! I'll remove one D-Hero from the game in my Graveyard, to negate a direct attack by the opponent, and end his battle phase immediately!" At the last, the white flames erupted around Edo. The flames soon died, revealing that the professional had not yet lost.

"Turn end," Misawa scoffed.

"I'll Draw!" Edo smirked at his draw. " This duel ends here!"

"What?" Misawa sneered. "You're bluffing!"

"We'll see. I activate Dasher's effect! By revealing one drawn monster I get to special summon it to the field! I'll special summon Dreadmaster! And once he's special summoned, I get to special summon two more D-Heroes from my Graveyard! I'll special summon D-Heroes Dasher in attack mode and Disk Guy in defense mode! And when Disk Guy's special summoned from my graveyard, I can draw 2 more cards!" He did so. " Next I'll sacrifice Disk Guy to raise Dasher's attack to 3100, and because Dreadmaster's attack is the total attack of my D-Heroes on the field, his attack increases to 3100, as well! Now, Dreadmaster, attack his Major Intellectual!" Dreadmaster leapt into the air, and began opening his palm, to drive into the Intellectual.

"I activate the trap card, Advanced Placement Calculus!"

"Opponent card effects won't work on my D-Heroes this turn. Or don't you remember that?"

"I remember, but it doesn't afflict your Destiny Heroes with anything. Instead, it increases the attack of my monster by 300 times the level of the monster that my monster battles with. The increase in strength remains for the rest of the turn!" Dreadmaster landed near the Major Intellectual, as a silver light gleamed around Misawa's creature, raising its attack up to 4600.

"Dreadmaster has another special effect. All D-Heroes aren't affected by battle damage." Dreadmaster slammed his open palm against the Major Intellectual, but the silver aura deflected the attack. Dreadmaster just leapt back to his side of the field. "I end my turn."

"Good, now I Draw!" Misawa grinned. "Now in my Main Phase One, I sacrifice Major Intellectual, in order to special summon from my hand, the Elder Intellectual (2700/2200)!" An Elderly hermit flashed onto the field, it no longer had the old book, but he was clothed in a silver, silk robe, holding a staff. "And, once this monster is summoned to the field, I can remove on monster on your field from play, I'll choose Dasher! Now, since you no longer have any Destiny Heroes on your field, Dreadmaster's attack and defense are zero!" A purple aura surrounded the hero, and began diminishing to barely being visible. "Elder, attack his Dreadmaster! End this duel!" The Elder held up his staff with both hands, and began chanting inaudibly. Soon, his hands began gleaming with a bright light, which spread into his staff. The creature then pointed his stave at the hero, and a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky towards Edo's monster.

"I activate a trap card, D-Shield! And I equip it to Dreadmaster!" Dreadmaster immediately bent down on one knee, as a magnetic field kicked up debris, as the bolt of lightning clashed with the defensive shield, and dissipated. "D-Shield can only be equipped to a D-Hero. When it is, my monster is switched to defense mode, and cannot be destroyed in battle." Edo smirked, though inside he let out a sigh of relief.

"I'll activate the field spell card, Light of Ruin!" Suddenly, a blinding light appeared on the field. The only way Edo could block the light from being shown into his eyes was by moving behind Dreadmaster, to be in the creature's shadow.

"What is that?" Edo shouted.

Misawa grinned maliciously, and as Edo stared at him, he strained his eyes, and he thought he saw a white aura emanating from him. "Light of Ruin. It's a field spell card that was created from a request by Saiou-sama. It switches the attributes of all my non-Light monsters to the Light attribute. Then it increases my Light monsters' attack by 500!" Elder Intellectual's attack rose to 3200.

'Why activate it now, though? Why not activate before he attacked me?' Edo deliberated. His brow furrowed. 'Something doesn't feel right about that card, I have to get rid of it immediately.'

"I'll end," Misawa's voices, now sounding like there were two voices talking, his own plus another, deeper voice.

"Draw!" He looked at his hand." I summon D-Hero Doom Lord, in defense mode! Now, I activate Doom Lord's effect! I can remove one monster from play till my Standby Phase two turns from now! I can't attack this turn, but that won't matter." Doom Lord leapt at the Elder, and placed it in a chokehold, and the Elder phased out of existence in an instant. "I'll end my turn."

"I'll draw, and activate Advanced Placement Geometry. When I activate this card, I can add to my hand, one magic or trap card with 'Advanced Placement' within it from my deck to my hand. I'll add Advanced Placement Physics. Then I'll set a card, and end."

'He must be joking. It's obvious he must've set that AP card just now. The only problem I have right now, is I don't know what it does, but the can easily be rectified.' "Draw! I activate Heavy Storm Blade and equip it to Doom Lord. Now I summon D-Hero Dunk Guy in attack mode! Doom Lord, attack his Life Points directly!" Doom Lord sped towards Misawa. "And when a D-Hero equipped with Heavy Storm Blade attacks, it destroys all magic and trap cards on the field other than this card!" The boomerang in Doom Lord's hands began rotating, causing a tempest.

Misawa smirked evilly. "I wanted you to attack, I chain my trap to it, Advanced Placement Physics! I can switch the target of your attack to another monster on the field, either one of yours or one of mine. Since I have no monsters on my field, I'll change the target of my attack to Dunk Guy!" Dunk Guy suddenly phased into Misawa's side of the field. Doom Lord charged at it, but Dunk guy slammed the ground with his fists. The fissure cracked underneath Doom lord, which disappeared within the crack, falling to its demise. Edo lost half of his remaining Life Points (Edo 500, Misawa 2000). Dunk Guy phased back into Edo's side of the field.

" Heavy Storm's effect still activates, because the attack occurred." The Light that had been blinding Edo faded, yet the white aura surrounding Misawa, now visible because of the dimming of the lights, did not. Edo felt his stomach churn, but ignored it. "I still have Dunk Guy's attack, and he'll do so directly!" Dunk Guy leaped at Misawa, and drove its hammer-like fists over the scholar's head, as his Life Points dropped to 900. "I'll set two cards, and end."

Misawa began chuckling, which turned into an all-out ecstasy. Edo's brow furrowed. "You did exactly what I wanted you to do, destroy the Light of Ruin!"

"What…?" Edo breathed in shock.

"I now get to special summon one light monster regardless of its summoning conditions from my deck, hand, graveyard, or removed from play pile! So I'll special summon back to my field, Elder Intellectual! And when he is summoned, he can remove one monster on the field from the game! So I'll remove your Dunk Guy, and then attack you directly!" Elder sent a bolt of silver lightening straight at Edo.

"I activate Negate Attack!" The bolt struck the vortex that had appeared on Edo's field, and dissipated. Edo breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that he could get something from his draw.

"I'll set a card. Turn end," Misawa spat.

"Draw! I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 more cards!" He looked at his hand, and his eyes widened. "I summon Destiny Hero Divine Guy! Then I activate the magic card Shrink, it allows me to halve the attack of a monster on the field, and I choose Elder Intellectual!" The Elder (1350/2200) began to shrink to about half of its height. Misawa gasped in shock, realizing his greatest monster was soon to be destroyed. "Next, I'll equip to Divine Guy D-Chain, raising my monster's attack by 500 to 2100! Divine Guy, attack Elder Intellectual!" Divine Guy leapt into the air, whirled the chain over its head, and launched the end of the chain directly at the weakened monster. Spear-like end of the chain sped straight through the abdomen of the Elder, causing the creature to shatter, and making Misawa lose 750 LP.

"I activate my Quick-Play Spell, Mind Over Matter! I can activate this the turn a card with 'Intellectual' in its name has been destroyed, and special summon it back to field!" Intellectual reappeared in a bolt of lightening back onto the field.

Edo grinned. "I haven't activated D-Chain's effect. When a monster equipped with D-Chain destroys a monster on your field, you lose 500 Life points of damage!"

As Divine Guy ripped the chain back out of the ground, it ripped up through Misawa's body, costing Misawa the last of his 150 Life Points (Edo 500, Misawa 0).

Misawa collapsed in a heap, and his duel disk skidded of his arm and to the middle of the field. Edo walked over to Misawa's duel disk and took the deck out of it. His arm that held the deck began glowing, and it felt as if it were on fire.

Edo dropped the deck immediately, and the cards fluttered to the floor. Edo rubbed his arm, thinking, 'If these are the kind of cards Saiou is giving to his members of the Society, this could be even tougher than I thought. And was that girl Misawa was talking about…the one who I was supposed to duel instead of Judai the second time I came here?'

Misawa began stirring. Edo took out a water bottle from his jacket, and poured it over Misawa's head. The scholar immediately snapped awake, and sat up. "What the…? Edo? Where are we?"

"In the Yellow Dorm. C'mon, we have to go and rescue Judai from the Girls' Dorm. And as much as I hate to say it, I'm going to need your help," Edo explained.

"Wait, rescue Judai? What's going on?"

"I'll explain on the way, let's move!" They both stood up, before Edo realized the door they went through was no longer there. A wall slowly slid up from behind them, and the two whirled around. There was a tunnel that led out of the room. "Looks like we've got one choice. C'mon!" And the two boys ran out of the room.

Saiou watched the boys run out of the room on-screen. He watched Misawa's demise, and subsequent expulsion from the Society. Saiou had closed the door without Edo knowing mid-duel, and now the tunnel they were going under the mountain would lead them under the island for at least a day or two, more than enough time to trap Judai and finish him.

A beeping came from his belt. He plucked the cell phone from its holster, and answered. "Saiou-sama," Manjoume's voice echoed from the speaker, "Hell Kaiser and myself are in place to take down Sho and Kenzan."

Saiou smirked. "Excellent, commence the operation!" He clicked off the phone, and sat down in his chair, waiting for the imminent arrival of Asuka on his ship, the Metsu Hadou (Destructive Surge). Once she arrived, all his bait would be set, and the trap would be ready for Judai. He thought this over in his mind, and began chuckling, which turned into a psychotic, unworldly laughter, chilling all those who heard it.

**AJ**: I managed to salvage a pretty pathetic chapter.

**Bil**: No you didn't.

**AJ**: Yeah, but it's much better than it was.

**Bil**: No it's not.

**AJ**: You know what? Why don't you make your own fanfic, rather than tear into mine?

**Bil**: Because it's much more fun to critique, and I bet you wouldn't make half as good of chapters these are if I wasn't so hard on you, idiot.

**AJ**: Honestly? I'd have to agree...that scares me.


	12. White Blitzkrieg

**AJ**: Sorry for the crappy chapter last time. I wanted to Misawa duel at least once, but I didn't know how he acted really in the Original Series, mainly because he has little to no role after his duel with Tania.

**Bil**: Pathetic excuse, loser. All you did was give him cards that involved AP classes and cards that have 'Intellectual' in their names. Idiot.

**AJ**: I know, I'm pathetic. I probably chased away Misawa fans everywhere from this fanfic. –sighs- Oh, well. Time for the next chapter, you all probably know what's going to happen this chapter, but, meh.

**Bil**: Quit whining and pleading and get to the story, fool.

**AJ**: e.e Yes, sir.

Chapter 11: White Blitzkrieg 

Manjoume flipped his phone shut, and placed it in his inside coat pocket. He checked his deck, shuffling the cards in one hand to another, before placing it in his duel disk. He picked up a suitcase Saiou had given him, and opened it up. 'This will be far too easy,' Manjoume thought. 'All I have to do is defeat Kenzan, which will hardly be a challenge. It's just a stepping-stone to getting rid of Judai. I don't care what Ryo says, the only one who will duel and defeat Judai will be me!'

The Society's leading duelist sneered, remembering his previous defeats against his Osiris rival. First it was at an exam, then it was in the School Duel. He desired nothing more than to duel him; it was his mission in life now. Everything he had done since joining the Association of light was to build to dueling his rival, Judai.

A red light flashed on and off on his watch. He noted it was 11:23 PM, before pressing a button on it, revealing a small map of the area. A yellow light blinked in the middle of the map, marking his present position, while another red light blinked near the outskirts of his watch, marking the position of an unknown presence. Well, unknown to the scanner, but not to Manjoume.

The boy smirked evilly, knowing from Saiou whom he would come across, Tyranno Kenzan. Manjoume began walking in the direction of the Ra Yellow student, holding his suitcase. After about 15 minutes, he overheard Kenzan whining next to a crackling fire, "I haven't seen anyone for three days! Where the hell is everyone!?" Kenzan sighed.

Manjoume walked into the light of the fire behind Kenzan. "Hello, Kenzan."

Kenzan whipped around, glaring after a moment when he recognized who was there. "What is it, Manjoume?"

"I'm going to need you to come with me," Manjoume sniggered. "Saiou-sama would like to talk to you."

"Sorry, I don't plan on going with you, now if you excuse me, I'm eating dinner." He turned around to continue, before Manjoume with lightening quick speed knocked the fish out of his hand and into the middle of the fire. Kenzan groaned. "Will you leave me alone?"

"Let me explain it to you another way. You are coming with me, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer," Manjoume spoke firmly.

"Well, that's too bad, because I'm not going!" Manjoume swiftly punched Kenzan in the stomach. Kenzan stumbled back a few steps, holding his abdomen. 'For a skinny piece of trash, Manjoume packs some punch,' Kenzan mused.

"If you won't go willingly, then you and I will duel. When I win, then you come with me; you win, and we go about or separate ways," Manjoume explained.

Kenzan gasped. "Fine! I'm getting you back for that cheap-shot!"

"Excellent, but we will duel wearing these." Manjoume opened his suitcase, and tossed a set of 5 white shackles, with a purple sphere bulging out of the middle of the shackles. "Place one on your neck and another on each of your arms and legs," Manjoume ordered Kenzan, setting his up as he did so.

"I don't take orders from you, what do they do?" Kenzan asked.

"Let's just say it'll make our duels a little more…interesting," Manjoume chuckled. Kenzan hesitated a moment, before Manjoume called, "You too scared? I could always just force you to come with me, but this way made it more fair, I thought." Kenzan glared, quickly putting on his shackles. "DUEL!"

"I'll start, Draw!" Kenzan shouted. "I'll activate Gilasaurus's effect! When he's normal summoned, I can allow you to summon a monster from your graveyard to make the normal summon a special summon! Since you have no monsters in your Graveyard, you can't special summon anything, but I can still treat this as a special summon! Next I sacrifice Gilasaurus for Dark Driceratops! I'll end my turn!"

"Pathetic, Draw! I'll normal summon V-Tiger Jet in attack mode! Then I'll activate the Permanent Spell Card, Frontline Base. Every turn I now get to special summon one Level 4 or lower Union monster from my hand. For this turn, I special summon W-Wing Catapult from my hand to the field! Now, I remove these two monsters from play, in order to special summon VW-Tiger Catapult!" The two machines began to be magnetically drawn to each other, and clicked into place on the field. The new creature flew down onto the field.

"Now I activate my monster's effect! By discarding one card, I can switch the battle position of one monster on your field. I'll discard Level Down from my hand, and switch the battle position of your Dark Driceratops." The tiger-like machine launched torpedoes at the ground in front of Driceratops, causing the creature to crouch down in a defensive position. Kenzan felt a slight tingling in his legs, causing him to look down at his legs. Manjoume licked his lips, grinning maliciously. "Tiger Catapult, attack his Driceratops!" Missiles once again launched, this time directly at Driceratops. This time, they hit it directly, annihilating the creature in an inferno.

Kenzan began screaming as an electric jolt surged through his body for a few moments. The Ra duelist dropped to his knees in pain. "Wh-what was that?" he groaned.

Manjoume chuckled. "This is the type of duel you have when you defy the Society of Light," he said, simply. "I end my turn with 2 facedowns." Kenzan was slow to stand back up. "Are you finished already? I honestly expected more out of you," Manjoume mocked haughtily.

Kenzan then got to his feet. "No, Draw!" He looked at his new card. "I summon Hyper Hammerhead! Hyper Hammerhead, attack his monster!" Kenzan's monster began charging at the hovercraft.

"I activate my trap card, Sakuretsu Armor!" A fiendish creature rose up from the field, as the dinosaur charged it. The Hammerhead crashed headfirst into the zombie, just as the monstrosity raised its spear. Kenzan's monster was speared headfirst, which shattered the dinosaur's hologram. Another jolt of electricity shot through Kenzan, rattling the inside of his body.

After regaining his wits, Kenzan slowly placed a card from his hand into his duel disk. "I'll set a card, and that's it," he murmured.

"Draw! I'll activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards!" He looked at his hand, grinning. "Next I'll play my other facedown, Reckless Greed, which allows me to draw 2 cards by sacrificing my Draw Phase for my next two turns." He looked at his replenished hand. "Now I'll normal summon Y-Dragon Head! Next, I activate the effect of Frontline Base to Special Summon from my hand, Z-Metal Tank!"

"I activate my trap card, Hunting Instinct!" Kenzan declared grinning. "I can only activate this card when my opponent special summons a monster. When I do, I can special summon from my hand one Dinosaur-Type monster! I choose Dark Tyranno!"

Manjoume began laughing hysterically. "You really think that pathetic card can save you? You'll find out soon that you're mistaken. I now remove from my field my Dragon Head and Metal Tank to summon YZ-Tank Dragon! Now, I discard Masked Dragon from my hand, to activate VW-Tiger Catapult's effect, switching your monster to defense mode!" Again, rockets sailed from Tiger Catapult's salvo and in front of the monster, forcing it to crouch down on the field in defense mode.

"Now, I discard Level Modulation from my hand to activate YZ-Tank Dragon's effect! By discarding a card from my hand, I can destroy one defense position monster on your field! And since all you have is Dark Tyranno, I think you can guess who's going!" A light grew from inside the mouth of the dragon, now connected to the tank, and an energy stream blasted out towards Dark Tyranno, shooting straight through it's abdomen, destroying the creature, and sending another shock of lightening tearing through Kenzan's body. He sank to his knees again, numb from the pain.

"Now, my two monsters will attack you directly!" Kenzan's last sight was a stream of energy and a large salvo of missiles colliding into him, as he felt the large jolts of electricity rip through him from the tips of his fingers to the tips of his toes.

Manjoume walked over to the unconscious form of Kenzan. He saw a stockpile of medals lying next to him on the ground. "Well, what do you know? I get a bonus, too!" He laughed heartily as he picked up the medals from the ground, and began his trek back to the Metsu Hadou with the body of Kenzan.

Hell Kaiser laughed as his brother slowly crawled from his prone position on the ground. Sho had been hit once again by one of Ryo's attacks. Sho had tried to reason with his brother that going along with Saiou just to get at Judai wasn't worth it, but the revenge-driven Ryo wouldn't listen. Sho then found himself in a duel unlike any he had seen before.

Sho sluggishly stood up. He hadn't hit his brother once yet, but he had been hit four times. Each and every time he was hit, an electric charge had surged through his body. Sho's vision was blurred. At first he thought he didn't have his glasses on, but he realized that it was from the electricity.

Sho shook his head, to clear his vision. He only had 500 Life points, while Ryo had 4000. "My turn, Draw!" Show declared. "I activate the Magic Card Polymerization! I fuse the two Cycroids in my hand to summon Pair Cycroid! Then I activate Training Wheels, and equip it to Pair Cycroid! I can attack your Life Points directly with this monster! Attack him directly Pair Cycroid!" Cycroid sped towards Ryo, preparing to attack the pro duelist.

"I activate my trap card, Power Wall!" He tore cards from his duel disk and threw them into the air, sending them fluttering all across the area. "I can send cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard, to negate damage equal to 100 times the number of cards sent to the Graveyard!" Cycroid ran into an energy-produced wall and backpedaled to Sho's field.

"After an attack by a monster equipped with Training Wheels, the monster is removed from the game till my next Standby Phase," Sho sighed. "I'll set one card and end."

"Draw! Now, Cyber Dark Dragon, attack him directly!" Ryo ordered.

"I activate my trap card, Life Force! Now by sacrificing 400 Life Points, I can make any battle damage to me become 0!" A small charge ripped through his body, which wouldn't have been as bad, had Sho not have already taken so much damage.

The smoke from the blast faded, revealing that Ryo had not one, but 3 monsters now on his field. "Cyber Dark Keel, attack his Life Points directly!" Ryo called, once again, before Sho had recovered from the last attack.

A charge tore through Sho's weakened body. The boy stood there looking at his brother across the way. "Oniisan…why?" Sho inquired weakly, before fainting and falling to the ground unconscious.

"Not 'Oniisan', Sho. I'm no longer your brother. Now I am only Hell Kaiser!"

A group of Society representatives rushed to Sho, and lifted him onto a stretcher. "Wait!" Hell Kaiser demanded. The Society students stalled for a moment. Ryo walked up to them, and stuffed his hand into Sho's coat pocket. "Can't forget part of my payment for this job," he sneered. He followed the students to the Metsu Hadou, hardly unable to wait for his impending duel with Judai.

"Soon, Judai. Soon I will annihilate you and silence all of my critics. I will end your dueling career, and any chance you'd have to make it in the pros," Ryo muttered. He chuckled, greedily, trailing the students holding Sho.

Asuka walked up the ramp and aboard the ship. It was passed one o'clock in the morning, and no one was usually out this lat, but she couldn't wait. She needed to tell Saiou of her resignation from the Society, and she needed to tell him now.

Asuka shivered slightly as a cold wind chilled her skin. She looked at the ship that was their current headquarters. It looked as if what was ready to set sail at a moment's notice. She started heading to the Map Room, figuring that Saiou had to be there.

Something was odd about the ship. 'There's nobody here,' she thought. 'Shouldn't someone be here to watch Saiou-sam, I mean Saiou-san?' She suddenly felt a chill inside her body. Not from a wind, but like she shouldn't be here, but why? She shook off the urge to retreat, and continued forward.

'It's just Saiou-san. He's like a second brother, I can tell him anything, right?' she deliberated. She walked down the long dark hallway, and with every step, the feeling in her stomach grew harder and harder to ignore. She thought about turning back a few times, but she decided against it.

She got to the door at the end of the hallway, and reached for the knob. She turned it and opened the door. A bright light shone from out of the room. Asuka shielded her eyes from the blinding gleam, till her eyes had adjusted to the contrasting shades. She stepped forward into the room towards a chair turned away from her. She knew Saiou was sitting there, and she began walking towards him.

"I've been waiting for you, Tenjoin Asuka," he stated harshly. Asuka couldn't stop herself any more. She turned and ran back towards the door, which slammed shut and locked. She tried desperately to turn the knob, but it wouldn't budge. She turned and saw Saiou was now staring at her, his eyes ablaze.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Tenjoin-kun?" he asked hypnotically, yet sternly.

Asuka couldn't stop herself. The truth came tumbling out of her mouth of its own accord. "I want to resign from the Society. I'm lonely. I know I have my Society members, but…I still feel…lost."

"Could it be that you have some feelings for our target, Tenjoin-kin?" Saiou bemusedly asked. He stood up and walked towards her. "You know that all we must do is defeat the boy, and then you'll have him with you."

"But…all we are doing to him…it just seems so wrong. I bear a grudge against the boy, but I have no reason to do so. What's the big deal if he doesn't want to join anyway?"

"You obviously have been corrupted by these feelings of caring and love you have towards Yuki Judai," Saiou explained as he slowly approached her. "I've never had anyone resist my powers like you have. Always when people were converted, they were converted for life. But you, you were able to resist my powers every so often. I always needed more of my focus to control you. I apparently went too far. Love will prevail against normal bursts of power."

Asuka began to tremble in fear. She looked into Saiou's eyes, and although she tried desperately to look into another direction, she couldn't. He finally reached her, and he lifted her chin to look up towards him., and she felt her body become paralyzed. "Asuka, I'm afraid I'll have to deny your request of resignation. I have use for you, yet."

His eyes began glowing even more brightly than before. Asuka tried to blink, but she no longer had control of her body. She attempted anything she could think of to move, but she wouldn't budge. 'Help me! Somebody! Anybody!' she thought, for she could not speak. Finally, Saiou's power had gained all their power, and the room illuminated with a bright purple light, as Asuka shouted deep into the night, "_JUDAI!!!_"

**AJ**: Ok. So I cut short the Sho vs. Hell Kaiser duel. If you want a full one, just find a translation of GX Episode 95, and the cards used there were basically what I was planning. I figured redundancy was unnecessary, so I just put in the last bit.

**Bil**: You're so uncreative.

**AJ**: Yeah, whatever. Well, be sure to come back next time for those of you who don't totally despise my fanfic now, which is probably very few of you at this juncture.

**Bil**: Would doubt it.


	13. Sacra Mors

**AJ**: Here's Chapter 12. I think I'll like doing these chapters…mainly because I'll be using my newly created decks.

**Bil**: These cards all blow!

**AJ**: Get out of there, that's top-secret information!!!!

**Bil**: Blow out your ass, loser!

(URGENT: Again, all Fallen Angel Cards are created by Ryu Jonesu and Ishzark is an actual card Just changed it from Holy Knight to Sacer Knight. Momoe's and Junko's cards, however, are mine! )

Chapter 12: Sacra Mors 

Judai floated in a sea of darkness. He tried to move his limbs, but his body didn't seem to want to function. He felt light-headed and numb. He lifted his head up slightly, stirring from his unconscious state. 'Where is this…?' he questioned.

Suddenly he saw a figure running in his direction. He strained his eyes, and then saw it was actually three people. They approached Judai, revealing the figures to be Asuka, Sho, and Kenzan. They seemed to be running from something behind them. Judai tried to see what they were running from, but couldn't see anything. He tried to call out to them, but felt his voice had left him.

Suddenly, a salvo of missiles and a laser stream hit the ground underneath Kenzan, and he disappeared with an inferno and a scream. The other two kept running towards Judai, while Judai continued trying to move his body. He looked up and saw a red and black beam powering up behind Sho. Judai tried to shout out Sho's name, but again, he couldn't. The beam struck Sho in the back, and Sho flew forward, falling to the ground and disappearing into the darkness.

Asuka was almost to Judai now. Judai's eyes widened as he looked behind her. He saw two purple flaring eyes behind her, then heard a cackling. Asuka shrieked, "Somebody, Anybody, help me!" Judai finally screamed out, "Asuka! Get out of the way! Move it!" Asuka looked at Judai warmly, seeing him and how close she was to him. Then the eyes flashed a purple light, causing Judai to squint so he could see. A pillar of ice erupted and surrounded Asuka. She looked around at her predicament, before turning back to Judai. She looked scared, alone, lost. She screamed at him, "JUDAI!!!" before the ice cause her freeze in place.

Saiou's visage became clearly visible, as he smirked at him. "Leave her alone, you ass!" Judai shouted at the top of his lungs. His hand reached out and surrounded the icicle that contained Asuka. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" he howled he was finally able to move his arm slightly. Something cut his hand, but he didn't care, all he could think about was saving Asuka.

Saiou's hand started to glow ominously, and then the crystal holding Asuka shattered, as Asuka disappeared. Judai felt a deep anger rise within him. He glared evilly at Saiou. He was about ready to kill the diviner. He tried to leap forward, then felt his body fall to the side.

Judai awoke with a start. He found himself lying on a cold tile floor. His heart was racing, and he breathed heavily. Cold sweat dripped off of his face onto the floor. The scene he had just witnessed repeated through his mind. He gulped and calmed himself. He tried to move, but realized he was bound to a chair. He felt a warm sticky substance drip off his hand and to the floor, and he realized his hand had been cut, probably from his struggling in his dream.

He tried to remember what had happened, but it was difficult to block out the throbbing pain in his head. He then remembered. Asuka slapped him, but when he looked again, she was resentful of her actions. Her face appeared as if she was in shock, and she was on the verge of tears. The he remembered a cold metal thud. That was it until the dream he just had. He struggled to get out of his uncomfortable position, and realized there was a bandage wrapped around his head.

He rubbed his arms back and forth, and was able to slip his hand out, partially thanks to the liquidation from the blood that had dripped into the knot and onto his other hand. However, although he was freed from his bonds, he was still locked in a room. He didn't have any idea where he was either. He just sat up and untied the straps on his ankles. His right hand throbbed, and he wiped off the excess blood onto his black shirt, and clenched his fist.

He sat alone against the wall in the darkness of the room. 'I have to get out of here. Kenzan, Sho, Asuka. They're all in danger!' he surmised. He snapped his fingers. 'Of course, my PDA! I can use it to contact the others!' He reached into his pocket, but found nothing. He groaned, realizing they must have taken it from his jacket when he was captured.

'How am I gonna get out of here?' he wondered. He then decided to check his deck, hoping it wasn't stolen. He reached into his belt and checked his deck holster. It was still in there. He sat in silence for a long time, with no way to tell what time it was, he couldn't guess if it was five, ten, or even 30 minutes.

He then heard a scuffling just outside the door. He heard two muffled voices just outside his door, and a few more down the hall. He walked over to where the sound was nearest, and placed his ear on the wall. He heard a bang, but after a few moments, nothing.

He strained his ear to listen for any movement, and then heard a pair of footsteps walking towards the room he was in. The door slid opened and he looked up.

He just sat and stared, not believing whom it was. "Areka?"

"Are you gonna sit on the floor, or are we gonna get out of here?" she inquired. "I cam here out of the kindness of my heart, now let's get going!"

"I thought I told you if it got too dangerous to leave me and go away," he scoffed.

"Your welcome," Areka said sarcastically. "C'mon!" She grabbed his right hand, but pulled away immediately when she felt the blood on his hand.

"What, never seen blood before?" Judai asked.

"I'm not fond of it, alright?"

"Fine." He stood up and followed her out of the room. "So how'd you get in here anyways?"

"I followed your group back to the Girl's Dorm. They ended up seeing me, but apparently, but they saw me with the whit clothing, and didn't say anything. That is, till I got down here, then I got caught by a few suspicious ladies, whom I lost before opening your door."

Judai half listened as they ran through the corridors, his mind still on the dream. And alarm was blaring through the PA System, calling for a breach in basement. They were well on their way out, by then, though.

They hurled around a door, before being seen by a few Obelisk White girls. They backtracked, and then began to run upstairs. Areka lost her footing halfway up the steps. Judai stalled and helped her to her feet. "You alright?" he asked quickly. She just nodded, and they continued up the steps.

They reached the landing, and ran through the passageway. A door on the side of them suddenly opened, and Judai took it. He grabbed Areka's hand, and slung her inside before slamming the door shut behind him.

"Sorry about my hand," he mentioned quickly, as he had grabbed her with his right hand. Areka wiped her hand off on her handkerchief, muttering something under her breath, as Judai looked through a peephole.

"Fancy meeting you here, Judai," said a girl's voice. Judai whipped around and saw Momoe and Junko standing there, dressed in white garb. Judai at first was apprehensive, when Momoe said, "Don't worry, we're just playing the part. We really aren't in the Society."

Judai lowered his guard a little bit, but was still skeptical. He couldn't trust anybody any more. Areka however was ecstatic, and she ran up to them and hugged the two. "Oh, man! Did I miss you guys!" she exclaimed. The two girls hugged her back.

"We'll catch up later, but now we're onto more important matters," Junko told her. She looked at Judai. "Judai, we need you right now. Asuka has been taken prisoner on the Society's ship, the Metsu Hadou. You need to go and help her escape!"

"Hold on a minute, a ship? When did he get that? And what about the Kenzan, Sho, and the others? Any word on them?"

"We don't know. But word about the ship is that it cost a lot of money, so my guess would be Manjoume," Junko told him, dreamily.

Judai's brow furrowed a little bit, but then he thought that it explained the dream he had. "Do you guys know any other ways out?"

"Yeah, just follow us!" Momoe told him. The girls immediately began walking towards the back of the room, and out the back door. Judai followed them, but kept his eye on the two. He couldn't place it, but something felt odd about the two.

After about ten minutes of pacing, they reached a set of stairs, of which Momoe and Junko began to take the upper flight. "Wait a minute, don't we have to reach the bottom?" Judai questioned.

"There's a lot of guards down that way all the time. Going up to the roof, and then down the side of the building will be longer, but it will be safer, as well," Junko informed him.

Areka looked back at the boy. "Quit being so nervous. Let's go! Don't you want to rescue your friends?" Judai nodded slightly, still a little annoyed at her willingness to trust the two girls. She still apparently didn't understand their situation. He followed them though, up the stairs and onto the roof.

Judai looked around. It was dark outside, meaning it was night. 'Good, at least our escape will be easier,' he presumed. They began walking to one end of the roof, when Judai to make conversation, asked, "So when did you guys decide to join the Society of Light undercover?"

Junko and Momoe turned their heads slightly at him. "We decided that we needed to get rid of a plague on this island," Momoe told him.

Judai frowned. 'Vile plague?' he thought. 'Since when did they talk like that?' Then his eyes widened. "So, Junko, how many duels have you won in this tournament?"

Junko turned around and looked at him, revealing the front of her shirt. Judai glared, and grabbed Areka's hand and pulled her back. "What're you doing, you idiot?"

"You two never joined undercover. You aren't undercover at all are you?"

Momoe then turned around revealing the front of her shirt. "What are you talking about?"

"Your shirts, they bear no medals. One of the rules explained in this tournament was that one medal must be displayed at all times on your shirt, to let others know that you are still eligible in the tournament. So, let me see some medals, now!"

The two girls looked at each other, smirked, and began to giggle evilly. Then began to laugh. "You are so stupid, Yuki Judai. Saiou-sama told us that because we're acquaintances of yours, that it would be easy to lure you into a trap, but I never thought we'd be able to do it, once this girl showed up," Junko stated, pointing at Areka. "We never thought she'd be so gullible."

Judai's brow furrowed. "Get straight to it, what do you want?"

"We want you to join the Society, willingly or otherwise."

"I told others I'm not joining you people. My answer still hasn't changed," he muttered darkly.

"Then you will duel us, here and now. Since there are 4 of us, we can do it as a Tag Team, make it go faster," Momoe said.

Judai looked at Areka. "Don't involve her, she has nothing to do with this!" He wouldn't stand for any others getting involved in his battles.

Areka looked at him in shock. "Don't treat me like a kid, I'll help you kick their backsides!"

"No, if you lose, then you will go back into the Society!" Judai told her. "Stay out of this, if you know what's good for you!"

"Shut up! I'm in this duel, whether you like it or not, you loser!" Judai just glared at her, when their argument was interrupted.

"Good! Now get into position, so we can finish you two off!" Junko ordered, now with a slightly darker voice.

"Indeed, I want to give our gifts to Saiou-sama, then Asuka can be released from her spell," Momoe said, a little more cheerfully.

Judai realized he had lost his argument, and just got into position across from Junko, while Areka went across from Momoe. They shuffled their decks, and placed them into their deck slots, igniting their duel disks. They all drew 5 cards, as their duel disks displayed their 8000 Life Points.

"I'll go." Areka stated firmly, "Draw!" She looked at her hand, and placed her new card with them, before taking a new one from her hand. "I'll summon Fallen Angel Lucia (1600/1400), in attack mode! That's it!"

"Draw!" Momoe called. "I'll begin by summoning Sacer Knight Daniel! (1700/1400)" A figure draped in white armor, holding an elegant sword appeared on the field. "End!"

"Draw!" Judai looked at his hand. "I'll summon Elemental Hero Avian in defense mode! Then I'll set a card facedown, and end it there."

"Draw!" Junko tore a card from her duel disk. "I summon Mors Knight Lucifer (1500/1000) attack position!" A figure holding a boomerang that looked like a cross and wore dark blue armor and bearing a buckler appeared on the field. "Lucifer, attack Avian!" Lucifer ran towards Avian, and leapt into the air. When he came near the hero, he threw the projectile at Avian, which destroyed the Wind-based being. "Lucifer's effect now activates! Whenever he destroys a monster, the opponent takes damage equal to half the attack of the monster destroyed!" The Dark-type monster used a chain connected to his arm to yank the projectile out of the ground, and launched it at Judai, which connected in his chest, and knocked him back a few steps, as his Life points dropped 500 points (A/J 7500, M/J 8000). "I'll end with a facedown," she said.

"My turn, Draw! I summon, Fallen Angel Rosario (1300/1100) in defense mode! Now, my Lucia will attack Lucifer!" Lucia sped towards Lucifer. Moments before reaching the opponent, Lucia drew her two short swords, and sliced the enemy to bits, shattering the creature. The force of the attack dropped Junko's Life Points slightly, but she remained unfazed (A/J 7500, M/J 7900). "I'll set a card. Turn end."

"Here I go, Draw!" Momoe declared. She looked at her hand, before making her move. "I'll sacrifice Daniel to summon Sacer Knight Ishzark, in attack mode (2300/1000)" A tall knight with a large white helmet and a silver cape covering blue armor appeared on the field. He held a giant buster sword in front of him. "Now, Ishzark attack Lucia!" Ishzark sped towards Lucia, lifted its sword above its head, and divided the Fallen angel in two. The force of the impact knocked Areka back slightly and docked her 700 Life points, but she was grinning.

Momoe began to giggle lightly. "You plan on activating Lucia's effect on Junko's turn, don't you? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but you can't because of Ishzark's effect. When Ishzark destroys a monster in battle, the monster is removed from the game, not sent to the graveyard!" Areka's face immediately fell. Her plan to cripple her opponent's with effects was now invalid, due to that effect. She placed Lucia into her duel holster, designating it removed from the game, as Junko and Momoe began to laugh evilly at their opponent's predicament.

**( Judai And Areka's Life Points 6800, Junko And Momoe's Life Points 7900)**

**AJ**: Sorry, short conclusion. Gotta head off to school. Hope you like the chapter, laters!

**Bil**: GET BACK HERE! WHO AM I SUPPOSED TO ANNOY ALL DAY, NOW!?


	14. Magnus

**AJ**: Back for more. For those of you who don't know, let me fill you in on 'Sacer' and 'Mors'. While I was creating these cards, I tried to invent a common theme among them, and decided to call them 'Holy Knights' and 'Death Knights'. But then, while I was in Latin class a day later or so, I thought, "What are 'holy' and 'death' in Latin?" So I left my seat, and grabbed a Latin-English dictionary to find out (I have that kind of time in that class) and I looked it up. Sacer is 'holy' or 'sacred', whilst mors is 'death'. I just used those because I thought they sounded cooler. Thank you for listening.

**Bil**: Shut up and type the damn story, Moron!

**AJ**: Glad you're so interested in history, Master. /

Chapter 13: Magnus 

**(Judai and Areka's Life Points 6800, Junko and Momoe's Life Points 7900)**

Junko and Momoe laughed haughtily as Areka placed her card inside her deck holder. Areka just sighed in disbelief. Only a handful of cards in the game could remove monsters, and one of the decks she came up against happened to have one.

Momoe took a card from her hand and slid it into a magic and trap slot. "I'll set a card and end," she sneered.

"My turn, Draw!" Judai declared. 'Areka's deck feeds off of being able to have cards in her graveyard. So, I'll just have to get rid of that Ishzark, and I've got just the cards to do it.' "First, I'll summon Elemental Hero Sparkman, in attack mode! Then, I'll equip him with the Spell card, Spark Blaster. I can only equip this card to a Sparkman, and when it is equipped I can select one monster on the field, and switch its battle position. So, I'll switch your Ishzark to defense mode!" Sparkman raised its energy pistol, and fired a charged bolt. The bolt struck the knight in the chest, forcing it to kneel down in its defense position.

"Now, Sparkman, attack her Ishzark!" Sparkman leapt into the air, and charged a ball of electricity in his hand, before aiming his palm at the knight. The lightening sped towards Ishzark.

"Trap Card open, Sacrum Vallum (Sacred Wall)," Momoe commanded. "I can activate this card when an attack is declared on a Sacer Knight. Sacrum Vallum switches all attack mode Sacer Knights to defense mode, and increases their defense points by 700!" A white aura emanated off of the hero, as the electric attack hit the sword and was deflected.

A few sparks hit Judai, causing his team's LP to drop 100 points. Judai snarled a bit at the meager damage. "I'll use Spark Blaster on Sparkman to switch him to defense mode, and end it." Sparkman pointed the blaster at itself, and fired a bolt, causing it to kneel down in defense position.

"Good, my turn now! Draw!" Junko looked at her new card. "I'll summon Mors Knight Blades (1100/800) in attack mode!" A small pale white creature with piercing red eyes appeared on the field. It held in its hands tiny throwing knives. "Then I'll equip it with Hell's Blade! I can only equip this card to a Mors Knight monster, but it increases the monster's attack and defense points by 400, and when a monster equipped with this card does battle damage, my opponent randomly discards one card from their hand! So, Blade, attack Rosario!" The small creature grinned evilly and charged forward with a rusty-looking saber that was almost the length of the knight. It ran surprisingly fast for a creature as small as it was, and sliced Rosario across the chest, breaching its armor and destroying it.

"Now, my Blades' effect activates, allowing me to attack twice in the same Battle Phase," Junko explained with a smirk. "Blades, turn your sword onto Judai's Sparkman!" the mind-controlled girl ordered. The little creature sped at Sparkman, raising its sword to attack and slice Sparkman in two.

"I activate a Quick-Play spell, Mystical Space Typhoon!" Areka declared. "I can destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field, and I'll target your Hell's Blade!" A small tempest flew from the card, and blasted through the sword Junko's creature held in its hands, causing it to disappear. Blades' attack continued, as it threw a small throwing knife at the hero. Sparkman deflected it back at Junko, who took a small amount of damage (A/J 6700, M/J 7600).

"I'll set a card and end my turn," Junko scoffed.

"I draw!" Areka stated firmly. "In my Standby Phase, because Rosario was destroyed in battle, I can special summon another Rosario from my deck! I do so in defense mode!" Another Rosario appeared from a glow, and onto Areka's field. "Next, I'll activate Foolish Burial, which allows me to send one monster from my deck to my graveyard. I'll choose Dante! Now, I summon Fallen Angel Caroline (1800/1000)!" A blonde-haired, gray-winged figure appeared on the field. It bore an orange breastplate and a wooden stave.

"Caroline, attack Mors Knight Blades!" Caroline raised her staff to the sky, as a lightening bolt blasted it, charging it up. The monster aimed the staff at the enemy creature, and a bolt of lightening shot out straight through the middle of Blades. The hologram shattered, and the remnants of the bolt struck Junko, costing her team another 700 Life Points. "I'll end with a facedown card."

"Draw!" Momoe declared instantly. "I'll switch Ishzark back to attack mode, and then I summon Sacer Knight Uther (1600/1200)!" A bearded, brown-haired, middle-aged man appeared with a white cloak, holding a giant war hammer. "Next I equip Ishzark with the Equipment spell Athena's Sword. It raises my Ishzark's attack by 300 points! Now, Ishzark, attack Caroline!" Ishzark raised the gold Athena's Sword into the air, using the elements to charge the weapon up. Then when the gold gleamed brightly, the monster brought the sword down, and sliced the air a few times, causing an explosion that enveloped the Fallen Angel, and docked Areka's squad 800 Life Points.

"Next, my Uther will attack Judai's Sparkman! And when Uther attacks a monster with less defense points than its attack points, the difference is dealt to you as damage!" Momoe gleefully exclaimed. Uther charged towards Sparkman, and raised its giant weapon with unbelievable ease. The knight drove the hammer onto the hero's head, destroying it in a cloud of dust, and docking Judai and Areka another 200 Life Points (A/J 5700, M/J 6900). "I'll set two cards. Turn end."

"My turn," Judai said with a hint of annoyance, "Draw!"

Areka interrupted Judai, saying, "My Dante's effect activates! At each one of our Standby Phases this card is in the graveyard, I select one monster on the field and place a Fallen Counter onto it. The monster's attack decreases by 200 for each Fallen Counter on it whenever we attack the creature for the Damage Step!"

Judai glared at her for a moment before continuing, "I activate the Magic card, The Warrior Returning Alive! I can bring back one Warrior-type monster from my graveyard back to my hand. I choose Sparkman! Next, I'll activate Polymerization, and fuse the Sparkman and Clayman in my hand to summon Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!" A vortex appeared and Clayman and Sparkman jumped into it. Out from the vortex appeared and giant yellow and purple figure and hovered above the field. "Now I activate my Thunder Giant's effect. When he is summoned to the field, he can destroy one monster whose original attack points are less than his own! So, since Ishzark's original attack points are 2300, he's as good a target as any. Thunder Giant, destroy Ishzark!" Thunder Giant raised its arms above its head and charged a giant ball of electricity between its palms. The hero then sent an enormous blast at Ishzark.

"I activate my Counter Trap, His Will Our Shield! I can only activate this card when a card effect targets a 'Sacer Knight' on my field. By discarding one 'Sacer Knight' from my hand, I can negate the effect, and destroy the card that the effect came from! I discard Sacer Knight Deckard, and destroy your Thunder Giant!" The giant streak of blue lightening that was flying towards Ishzark bounced off an invisible wall and redirected itself back towards Thunder Giant, destroying the hero in a cloud of dust.

Judai shielded his eyes from the explosion, but remained unfazed. "I activate my Trap Card, Elemental Mirage! I can activate this when an Elemental Hero is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard. The monster is special summoned back to the field! And since Thunder Giant was removed from the field and summoned again, I can once again activate its effect! So let's try this again. Thunder Giant, destroy Sacer Knight Ishzark!" Judai declared eagerly. Thunder Giant once again charged up a stream of blue lightening once again, and shot it at Ishzark.

"I activate my other facedown, the Quick-Play Spell, Holy Orders!" Momoe said. A light surrounded Ishzark, when Thunder Giant's blast collided with the glowing figure. Judai strained his eyes against the dust that covered the field from the lightening stream. He at first thought that the blast had hit, but then a pit in his gut began forming. He saw two small ovals open that began to glow brightly.

The dust soon subsided, revealing a towering figure with a white helm covering all but his eyes and nose. A white cape was draped over his shoulders, and he was dressed in a full suit of bright shining armor. Implanted in the ground in front of him was a giant battle-axe.

The dust soon removed itself revealing Momoe, who looked more evil, and spoke with almost a second voice in her. A large silvery aura emanated from her body, and she looked like she was possessed. "Holy Orders allows me to sacrifice one Ishzark on the field, and in exchange, I can upgrade it and special summon one Sacer Knight Magnus (3200/2600) from my hand, deck, or graveyard! This is the ultimate 'Sacer Knight'. It was given to me as a gift by Saiou-sama! I shall use it to destroy you!"

"Yeah, well, you'll have to wait for a while," Judai glared. "It's still my turn. Thunder Giant, Molten Thunder! Attack Uther!" Thunder Giant opened its palm over Uther's body, and sprayed lightening upon the creature. The force of the attack shot through Momoe, but she remained steadfast. The attack still lowered her Life Points by 800, however. "I'll end my turn with a facedown."

"My turn, Draw!" Junko shouted. "I summon Mors Knight Mordred (500/1500)!" A clocked figure with long brown hair and a twisted goatee appeared on the field, holding a cane. "This card can attack your Life Points directly! Go Mordred, attack Judai directly!" Mordred held the cane before it and held his free hand behind the stave. He began chanting incantations, and a red light surrounded the cane. At the same time, a red aura surrounded Judai, and he felt some LP deduct from his Life Point meter on his duel disk (A/J 5200, M/J 6100). "I'll end my turn with two cards facedown."

"Draw!" Areka stated, as she shuddered at the sight of Magnus. "I'll add a Fallen Counter to your Magnus. Then, I'll sacrifice my Rosario for Fallen Angel Nicholas (1800/1100)!" A figure in a yellow breastplate and a gray helm emerged in a flash. It held a long spear. "Nicholas, attack Mordred!" Areka cried. Nicholas leapt into the air prepared to land near Mordred.

"I activate the Trap card, Death and Decay!" Junko told them. "I can sacrifice one Mors Knight on my field, and in return destroy the monster that is attacking! I'll sacrifice Mordred and destroy Nicholas! Now, you take damage equal to the sum of the levels of the two monsters, times one hundred points! Your monster's level is 5, and mine is 3, so you lose 800 points of damage!" A purple mist floated towards Areka, and seemed to poison the girl. She felt 800 Life points being sucked from her body.

"I'll set a card, and end," Areka stated weakly.

"Draw!" a possessed Momoe said. "Magnus, attack that pathetic creature he calls a hero with your battle-axe!" Magnus' eyes opened again, blaring white lights from them. It lifted its head slightly, before leaping into the air. It was about to land, it swung a mighty blow on Thunder Giant, taking off the top half of its body without so much as debris remaining of the torso and higher.

The wind from the axe sliced Judai's body again, as his team lost 800 more Life Points. He stumbled back, before grunting, "I activate my trap card, Hero Signal!" A giant light appeared in the sky, with a decorated 'H' appearing in the middle of it. "I'll special summon Bubbleman from my deck to my field, and since he's alone on my field, I can draw two more cards!" He did so.

"Turn end," Momoe told him darkly.

"Good, Draw!" Judai declared. He smirked as he looked at his new cards. "Areka's Dante's effect activates, placing another Fallen Counter onto Magnus! Then her Nicholas's effect lowers your Life Points by 300!" A purple aura surrounded the two Society-controlled duelists, taking some LP from each. "And I'm sorry, Momoe, but your going to have to say 'sayonara' to your monster!" Judai smirked.

Momoe's eyes widened. "Why do you say that?"

"It should be obvious, it means I have a way to take that thing down! First, I'll activate Miracle Fusion! This card allows me to remove Elemental Heroes from my field or graveyard in order to use them as Fusion-material monsters to special summon a Fusion monster." Judai explained. "So I'll remove Elemental Heroes Avian and Sparkman from my graveyard, plus E-Hero Bubbleman from my field, and special summon from these three monsters, Elemental Hero Tempest!"

The three monsters leapt into a vortex that appeared on the field, when suddenly a giant rush of wind struck the field. A tornado appeared on the field in front of Judai, and when it subsided, Tempest stood in the middle of the whirlwind. Judai then said, "I'll set one card on the field, and then attack Magnus with Tempest!"

"Fine, go ahead, you may sacrifice your facedown card, but you'll still take damage!" Momoe told him.

"Actually, your forgetting about my monster's effect," Areka suddenly cut in. "Whenever a monster on our field attacks a monster with Fallen Counters on it from my Dante, your monster's attack decreases by 200 points per Counter during the Damage Step!"

"And since your monster has two Fallen Counters on it, you lose 400 Attack points, making your monster equal in strength with mine!" Judai told her, as Tempest aimed its arm cannon at Magnus and fired. Magnus threw its giant battle-axe in Tempest's direction right before it disappeared in an explosion, in a last-ditch effort to destroy Tempest. But it was all for naught. "Now I'll sacrifice my facedown Transcendent Wings, making my Tempest invulnerable to your monster's counterattack!" The Tempest flew into the air and dodged the rogue axe, before shooting it down with another blast of its arm-cannon.

Judai looked at Areka rather sheepishly. "I guess I should thank you for your help, we wouldn't have been able to take down that monster without your Fallen Angels."

Areka was taken aback by Judai's sudden kindness. "Was that a compliment from an Osiris, Mr. Yuki?" she mocked.

Judai smiled slightly. "Don't push your luck."

Momoe and Junko coughed from the dust and dirt that floated in the air from Judai and Areka's combo. "Don't celebrate just yet!" Momoe screamed at them.

"Yeah, you may have destroyed one monster, but we're still in the lead in this duel," Junko mentioned. "And we haven't even gotten close to pulling out or best monster yet!"

"We'll take whatever you girls can throw at us, now that we're working together!" Areka shot back.

"You guys are the ones who should watch out," Judai added.

**(Judai and Areka's Life Points 3600, Junko and Momoe's Life Points 5800)**

**AJ**: So ends another chapter of my fanfic. How's the new duel going so far?

**Bil**: It's crap, as always.

**AJ**: I'd take offense to that, if it wasn't for that fact that I'm too excited for my Mors Knights and my Sacer Knights.

**Bil**: You have no life.

**AJ**: The fact you're always here to put down my work makes me say the same thing about you, old man…

**Bil**: Say something, Maggot?

**AJ**: Not a thing.


	15. Descent Of Deus

**AJ**: Yeah, another chapter is up and running. Will Areka and Judai continue the comeback they started last episode?

**Bil**: Will this story ever end?

**AJ**: Eventually. I think it's getting good.

**Bil**: You're just saying that. Where'd this Areka-chick come from anyways?

**AJ**: Originally, she was supposed to be a one-shot…just for my first duel. But I just somehow ended up adding her as I wrote more and more of the original draft.

**Bil**: You're pathetic.

**AJ**: You may say that, but most of the people who read this probably think differently…unless they just read this cause of how pathetic they feel of me.

**Bil**: I know I do…well, actually I just do it to annoy you.

**AJ**: You definitely know how to do THAT.

Chapter 14: Descent Of Deus 

**(Judai and Areka's LP 3600, Momoe and Junko's LP 5800)**

Judai and Areka looked on the field as the dust settled from their recent combo attack. Areka's Dante lowered Magnus' attack to 2800, within striking distance of Judai's Tempest's attack. "I'll end my turn," Judai stated, feeling that although they were down by over 2000 Life Points, momentum had switched to their side.

"Finally, Draw!" Junko called. "I summon Mors Knight Ronin (1200/1700), in defense mode and that's all for me." A man with brown hair shielded slightly by a black helmet and bearing black armor appeared on the field holding a flail in one hand, and bearing a dark brown shield on the other.

"Draw!" Areka declared.

"My Ronin's effect activates. Whenever my Ronin is on the field in defense mode during your Standby Phase, you take 500 Points of damage," Junko explained. Ronin began spinning it's ball and chain above its head, and let the ball fly at Areka. The chain extended to the distance of the field, and the ball went through Areka's abdomen, costing her team 500 Life Points.

Areka gasped slightly at the realism of the hologram. She shook her head, and continued. " I have a couple of effects, too. First, my Nicholas's effect activates, deducting 300 Life Points from you. Then my Dante's effect places a Fallen Counter on your Ronin." A purple aura once again surrounded the two opponents, subtracting 300 LP from their total.

"Now, I activate Fallen Regen! By discarding one Fallen Angel, I can special summon another Fallen Angel from my graveyard! So I'll discard my Fallen Angel Melchior, and special summon back to the field Fallen Angel Caroline!" The blonde-haired, orange-armored Caroline appeared back on the field in attack position. "Caroline, attack Ronin!" The fallen one's stave began glowing yet again, this time an orange glow. She pointed her staff at the enemy, and a giant molten fireball shot and incinerated the Mors Knight. "Turn end."

"Draw!" Momoe immediately said. "I'll activate Orb of Brilliance! By removing from my graveyard two Sacer Knights, I can special summon one level four or lower Sacer Knight from my graveyard to the field! I'll remove from my graveyard Sacer knights Deckard and Uther to special summon Sacer Knight Daniel (1700/1400) back to my field!" A paladin-looking figure appeared on the field, holding in front of him a giant long sword.

"Now my Daniel will attack your Caroline!" She saw Areka and Judai look mildly surprised. "C'mon, you didn't think my knight wouldn't have an effect, did you? When Daniel attacks, his attack points increase by 300 for the damage step only." Daniel drew the long sword from the ground in front of him. He held it with two hands, and charged the Fallen Angel. The knight sliced forward with his long sword and cut the wooden stave and Caroline in two, shattering the image and lowering Judai and Areka's LP further (A/J 2900, M/J 5500). "I'll end."

"That was stupid, Draw! " Judai looked at his hand. "Dante's and Nicholas's effects activate again, adding a Fallen Counter onto Daniel, and lowering your LP by 300." More LP was sucked from the Society-controlled duelists. "Now, Tempest will attack Daniel, and since he has a Fallen Counter on him, he'll lose 200 attack points!" Tempest aimed its arm cannon again, and fired a blue beam, atomizing the opponent, and this time knocking down Momoe's Life Points by 1300. Judai grinned, saying, "That'll do."

"Draw!" Junko looked at her hand and smiled mischievously. "I'll activate a Spell Card, Orb of Shadow! I remove two Mors Knights from my Graveyard, and in return, can special summon one level four or lower monster from my opponent's graveyard! Now, let's see. I think I'll special summon that Clayman of Yuki's in defense mode!" The card ejected itself from Judai's duel disk graveyard, and flew into Junko's hand, before she placed it into her disk. Clayman was surrounded by a dark aura, and looked like it had been given a darker skin tone.

"Don't worry, you'll get him back soon, cause now I sacrifice him for Mors Knight Nihil (2400/2000)!" Clayman disappeared from the field, and up from the ground came a figure whose face couldn't be seen. A black hood covered the whole body of the creature, except for the figures hands, that wore black gauntlets. In one hand the figure carried a green, decayed looking bastard sword.

Areka began shaking while looking at the new creature and slumped to the ground shivering. Judai looked at her worriedly. "Areka, what's wrong?"

She shook uncontrollably and chattered through her sentence. "I-it's c-c-cold suddenly. D-d-don't you f-f-feel it?" She looked at him, somewhat surprised that he wasn't even rubbing his arms.

Junko giggled evilly. "Yes, this creature does have that effect. It does look like something that crawled out of your very nightmares, doesn't it?" Areka didn't answer, and just kept shaking. She slowly rose back to her feet, as Junko continued her turn.

"Now, I activate my Nihil's effect. I can remove a face-up monster on the field from play once per turn. I can't attack with Nihil this turn, but it'll be worth it to get rid of that pesky Tempest." The hooded figure raised its free arm, which began glowing with an eerie black light. A black abyss appeared before the figure, which was shot at Tempest. The black sphere reached Tempest, which was sucked into the nothingness, and was gone. The whole image gave Judai the chills. "I'll end."

"D-draw," Areka said, still shaking from the new figure on the field. "I activate Pot of Greed, and draw 2 cards!" She looked at her hand, and frowned. "I can't do anything," she sighed. She would have to rely on luck that her opponents wouldn't get a strong monster and capitalize on her unlucky draw.

Momoe smirked. "Draw!" She looked at her hand, and groaned slightly, not liking her predicament. "You guys lucked out a little bit, but I still can do damage. I summon Sacer Knight Ignatius (800/500)!" A white-armored pike-man appeared on the field. "Obviously his effect doesn't matter now, but normally, he would be able to attack directly, regardless of your fields. Ignatius, attack them directly!" The pike-man ran forward, and stabbed Judai in the midsection, knocking them down a tenth of the LP meter (A/J 2100, M/J 3900). "End."

Judai stepped forward after falling backwards from the realistic charge. "Draw!" he stated, while looking at his draw. " You lose 300 Life points, and a Fallen Counter is added to Nihil. I now summon Neo-Spacian Dark Panther! Now, I activate Dark Panther's effect. One per turn, when he is on the field, I can select one monster. He takes the name and the effect of the selected monster till the end of the turn. So I'll select Mors Knight Nihil!" Dark Panther then melted into a puddle of black liquid, before reforming into an exact replica of Nihil.

"Now, I use Nihil's effect, to remove Mors Knight Nihil!" The fake-Nihil began to charge up a black abyss, before launching it at the enemy monster.

"I activate my facedown, Death Pact!" Nihil disappeared into the black-sphere, but instead of the sphere disappearing, it began to glow with a purple light. "This card allows me to sacrifice Mors Knight Nihil, in order to summon my greatest monster, Mors Knight Malus (2900/2500)! This card cannot be destroyed by any card effects!" A giant black armored person tore out of the purple orb that had absorbed Nihil. The black knight held a giant dual-bladed pole-arm, which it jabbed into the ground, causing an enormous quake in the area around the duel area. The shaking continued.

"Now, when Malus is summoned to the field, I can remove from play one monster on the field, so I'll just remove that Dark Panther from the game!" The shaking then tore open a crevice underneath the Neo-Spacian's body. The space-themed hero never stood a chance.

"I'll activate the Permanent Spell, Damage-Off Zone. Now all battle damage done to us is reduced by half of its original value!" Judai declared loudly. I'll end it there."

"Good, cause I'll begin your end here!" Junko drew a card, and without even looking at it, stated, "Malus, attack Judai directly!" Malus raised its pole-arm above his head, and began spinning it nimbly, before lunging at Judai.

"I'm gonna activate Damage-Off Zone's second effect. I sacrifice half of my LP and this card to reduce your battle damage to zero!" The creature slammed its blade into Judai, causing an eruption of dirt and debris. Judai and Areka lost 1050 LP from their total.

"You certainly are persistent. I'll end."

"Draw!" Areka screamed. "You lose 300 LP, and a Fallen Counter is added to Malus. Next, I activate Fallen Treasure! We all draw two cards, and reveal them. Any monsters are then discarded to the Graveyard." All the players drew 2 cards.

"Pot of Greed and Sacer Knight Reina," Momoe stated, as she placed the monster into the grave.

"E-Hero Neos, and Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab," Judai moaned, discarding both cards.

"The trap Sacrificial Pit and the Magic Card, Undead Rising," Junko happily shouted.

"Happiness Angel Ash and Fallen Shadow," Areka said. "However, whenever my Ash is sent to the graveyard, it is automatically sent back to my deck, which is then shuffled." She did so. "Now summon Rosario, in attack mode!"

"Now, my Rosario will attack your Ignatius!" The fake-Rosario drew an arrow from her quiver, loaded it onto its bow, and fired it directly through Ignatius's chest, destroying it and reducing her opponent's LP by 500 (A/J 1050, M/J 2800). "I'll set a card and end my turn."

"Draw!" Momoe's eyes gleamed maliciously at the card she had just drawn. "This duel has just ended. You may have been able to destroy my Magnus, and even as strong as Malus is, it can also be defeated. But, now, it is time to summon a knight that knows no peer!"

"Oh, c'mon. Just activate the card, already!" Judai demanded anxiously.

Momoe grinned evilly again, "Just remember, you brought this on yourselves. I activate the Spell Card, Descent of Deus!" she shouted eagerly. "I must remove from the game in my graveyard or field one Sacer Knight Magnus and one Mors Knight Malus. Normally, I couldn't activate this card, because I can't use monsters in my partner's graveyard, but because Malus is on the field, it's fair game. So I remove our two monsters from the game, and Special Summon from me deck, Deus Knight Odin!"

An enormous storm appeared from nowhere, as a White light glowed from Momoe's graveyard, and a black light emanated from Mors Knight Malus, and began clashing with thunder in the sky. A giant tempest began blowing across the field, making hearing one another practically impossible. Soon, hooves could be heard echoing through the night's sky, followed by a whinnying of a horse. The sky the split open, revealing a bright light, and a figure riding a black red-eyed horse charged from the crack in the sky. The knight held a giant spear in its hand and his eyes blazed red with bloodlust.

"Odin (3800/3500) removes from play any monsters it destroys in battle. Odin, end this duel! Destroy Fallen Angel Rosario!" The monster then charged forward on its horse in a blinding fury, aiming its spear at Rosario.

"I activate my face down, Fallen Shadow! When a Fallen Angel monster is attacked, this card switches it to defense mode, and doubles its defense points. The main point, though, is that he was switched to defense mode." Rosario immediately dropped to one knee, just as it was impaled by Odin.

" My Odin's effect activates. When it destroys a defense position monster, you take 800 points of damage." The Deus Knight turned its spear onto Areka, and stabbed her through her chest as well. "Turn end."

"Draw!" Judai called. " You lose 300 LP, and a Fallen Counter is added to Odin. I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards!" He looked at his new cards. "Next, I activate Burial From A Different Dimension! This card allows me to place three cards that are removed from play back to my graveyard. Remember my Avian, Sparkman, and Bubbleman from Tempest? I send them back to the grave!" He took the three monsters and placed them into his graveyard.

"Now I activate the Spell, Fusion Recovery! I can add one Fusion-material monster used in a Fusion, as well as a Polymerization, to my hand. So I'll take the magic card, and Bubbleman from my Graveyard to my hand. Now, I'll summon Bubbleman in attack mode, and since he's the only card on my field, I can draw 2 more cards!" He looked at his new cards. "Finally, I'll equip Bubble Blaster to Bubbleman, and end my turn."

"My turn, draw! I summon Mors Knight Roche (1700/1000), in attack mode! Attack Bubbleman!" A figure in a black chain mail drew a one-handed axe, and charged towards Bubbleman, slicing down at the hero.

"I activate Bubble Blaster's effect. By sending it to the graveyard, I can negate the battle damage of one of my opponent's attacks," Judai explained, as he sent the Equipment Spell to the graveyard, saving his LP yet again.

"End."

"Draw! You lose 300 LP and another Fallen Counter is added to Odin." She didn't want to look at the only card she had in her hand. It all came down to this. Areka had to have drawn a card that would disrupt Odin's attack. She looked at her card. "I'll set my last card, and end my turn," the girl stated meekly.

"Draw!" Momoe didn't even look at her new card. "Odin, end this duel and attack Bubbleman!" Odin charged towards the hero, as Judai watched what may have been the final attack of the duel occur.

"Trap Card open, Mirror Force!" she screamed in glee. A mirror appeared on the field, reflecting Odin's attack back at itself and Roche. Dust was kicked up from the reflected attack.

Judai and Areka pleaded with the powers-that-be that Odin was gone. However, a pair of red pupils opened, revealing that it still existed. The two let out a sigh of dismay.

"Sorry, Areka, but Odin cannot be destroyed by card effects. Roche wasn't so lucky, however," Momoe explained, looking at Junko's empty field. "I'll finish you off next time, turn end."

"There will be now next turn for you two," Judai said coldly.

"Is that so? You won't be able to destroy this monster with an effect like the last one, and Tempest is in the graveyard. You already used Miracle Fusion, leaving you with no way to fuse monsters from your graveyard, you're stuck, loser!"

"Draw!" Judai looked at his card. "You lose 300 More LP and the last Fallen Counter of the game is placed onto Odin. "Next, I activate the magic card, Silent Doom, allowing me to summon one Normal Monster back from my grave in defense mode. I choose Neos. Next, I'll summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird! Now, I'll summon a new Elemental Hero! Neos, Hummingbird, Ready?" he asked the two heroes. They both nodded.

"Get ready, Contact Fusion activate!" The two heroes flew into the sky, and a bright light flashed. "I send Neos and Air Hummingbird back to my deck to special summon Elemental Hero Air Neos!" A winged-Neos descended from the light. "Now, your Life Points are higher than ours, so Air Neos' attack raises by the difference in our LP, which is 1650!" Air Neos glowed with a green aura, as it's attack rose to 4150. "Finally, I activate a Spell Card, Elemental Merge! I can remove one monster from my graveyard with the same attribute as a monster on my field from play. Then, the monster on my field gains the attack and defense points of the monster! I'll remove Avian to raise its attack by another 1000 to 5150!" The green aura glowed brighter.

"Now, my Air Neos will attack your Odin, and since it has 3 Fallen Counters on it, it'll lose 600 attack points to 3200! Air Neos, destroy Deus Knight Odin!" Air Neos flew above Odin, and slashed its wings in front of itself, sending a green cross-like energy blade directly at Odin. The Knight was divided into quarters, and disintegrated in an explosion. Junko and Momoe screamed out in despair, before being drowned out by the noise, and falling unconscious. (A/J 250, M/J 0)

Areka dropped to her knees, relieved that they had won. Judai, however, walked over to the limp forms of the two girls. "What're you doing?" she asked nervous that he was going to wake them up.

"Don't worry. They lost, so Saiou's influence over them is gone. We have to find out if their story about Asuka was truthful, or a lie. Do you have any water on you?" Areka tossed him a bottle from her pocket, which he gave to the two unconscious girls.

The two girls stirred and rose from their slumber. Momoe spoke first. "ugh…what happened?" Her vision went back into focus. "Judai? Judai is that you!?" The boy nodded.

Junko then came to her sense and grabbed him by then arm. "Judai, please! We need you! We came to the Girls' Dorm to keep an eye on Asuka, when she left to go find Saiou on some ship called the Metsu Hadou! We were going to follow her, when we saw you! We figured we could use your help, so we tried to get you free, but we were caught, and…" She began to sob uncontrollably.

Judai stared in disbelief. "What happened to her?"

"We don't know, but we think she may be in grave danger! We discovered from some of the other girls that …that….she was somehow fighting Saiou's powers, and…and…she was going to be 'eliminated'!"

**AJ**: Here you go, for my adoring public. And now, I'm off to bed…its 11:30 on a school night…laters.

**Bil**: Lazy bastard.

**AJ**: Zzzzzzzz.

**Bil**: QUIT DROOLING ON MY FOOT!


	16. In Flight to Destiny

**AJ**: Another chapter up and running. Yippee-tayou-tayae.

**Bil**: Hey, I'm supposed to be the ornery one.

**AJ**: Sorry…it's just that this part of the story is the one that I feel will make or break the whole damn thing…and I'm not sure it'll be good enough.

**Bil**: Has that ever stopped you before?

**AJ**: No…

**Bil**: So shaddap and write the stupid story!

AJ: …You're really getting into this, aren'cha? Chapter 15: In Flight to Destiny 

Judai ran as fast as he could. He was getting little cuts on his legs and arms from the long, thick needles and sharp branches that he ran passed. Some cut straight through his black undershirt and his jeans, and dug into his thigh. But he still ran hard and fast.

'I gotta motor!' he told himself with each scratch and cut. He ran through a large branch headfirst, coming out with his face riddled with pine needles. He wiped his face from the pine needles, leaving pinpricks on his face. He panted from lack of sleep and his head throbbed from the bump on the back of his head. 'I gotta motor, I can't leave her!' he thought, remembering what had just happened.

_Momoe and Junko sobbed,_ _"They said she was going to be 'eliminated'!" Judai's pupils shrank and his eyes widened._

_"Asuka's…going to be…killed?" he whispered audibly._

_"No way!" Areka screamed, and looked at Judai. "We have to go save her!"_

_Judai clenched his fists so tightly they began bleeding. His eyes narrowed to a dark visage. Areka saw Judai's expression, and began quivering._

_Judai turned and ran off towards the edge of the roof. "W-wait! Where are you going?" Areka called._

_He looked over his shoulder as he ran off and hollered back, "I'm going to the docks! You watch over those two, they probably aren't in the best shape right now!" And with that, he launched his duel disk into the air and leaped off the edge of the roof._

"_What're you doing!? You'll break a leg doing that!" Areka cried as she sped towards the side of the building. _

_Judai took off his jacket. He floated near a tree branch and slung one part of the jacket over the branch and slid towards the trunk. As he got closer to the ground, he released his hold of the jacket and gracefully landed on the ground. Without missing a beat, he took off into the forest, grabbing his duel disk that fell towards the ground as he ran by._

"_He's pretty good…" Areka breathed._

Judai glared as he ran. "Saiou…" he breathed, his eyes full of fire. "Saiou…" he said louder, anger building inside his stomach, burning like a torch was lit within him. "Saiou!" He shouted a third time, his voice now overflowing with the venom he felt towards the diviner.

Areka helped up the two girls from the ground. "Are you guys ok?" She asked hastily.

"Just a little light-headed is all," Junko said, holding her head, giving a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, just a head-ache. We'll be fine. Right now, we have to go help Judai!" Momoe stated.

"Right, but how do we get down?" Areka asked.

"Well, it's not as fast nor as elegant as Judai's way, but there is a ladder that goes down the side of the building. It's an old fire escape, but it should suit us just fine," Junko explained.

The three ran to the side of the roof, and began climbing down the ladder. They reached the bottom, and began running through the forest, and hit the path. As they ran towards the docks through the moonlight, they heard a sound, as if someone was getting punched.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, where's my sister! She may not have been the warmest person like she used to be, but she still kept in touch, if only to ask me to join that stupid Society of yours. She hasn't contacted me since the start of this tournament, now where is she!" a man shouted at another Obelisk student.

"Tenjoin Fubuki?" the three girls shouted at the same time.

Asuka's brother turned around, and noticed the white clothes. "You girls, where's my sister?"

"Fubuki, calm down, it's us!" Junko and Momoe said simultaneously.

Fubuki looked again, and recognized Asuka's best friends. "You guys, have you found out where Asuka is?"

"We had her tracked down, but we were captured and converted for a little while, before we dueled Areka here and Judai. They brought us back to normal."

"I see," Fubuki said, turning to Areka. "Thanks."

Areka blushed slightly. "Heh…don't mention it."

Fubuki looked side to side. "Where's Judai?"

"He went on ahead to the docks. According to these two, they overheard that she was asking for her resignation from the Society, but Saiou had other ideas."

Fubuki looked at the three. "Well, what're we waiting for?" he asked. "Let's go help Judai!" The three girls nodded, and the group ran off towards the dock.

Judai ran down the path leading to the docks. "Man, of course I had to take the scenic route," he muttered. He ran over the hill overlooking the port, but saw there was no boat. He stopped for a second. "Where is it?" he asked angrily.

He looked up and down the port, and saw no ship. When he saw someone walking up to him from the far end of the docks. He recognized the wild black hair immediately.

"Looking for your friends, Judai?" Manjoume questioned.

"I don't have time to mess with you."

"Easy there, killer. I'm just here to direct you towards your destiny. You need to take this motor boat right here," the Society-controlled duelist gestured at a boat next to him. "Don't change any directions. This boat will lead you straight to where the ship is anchored. It is there your destiny will be revealed."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm sick and tired of all your destiny crap." Judai leapt into the motorboat, and revved up the engine.

"One more thing, Judai."

"What!?"

"Make sure you make the right decision, or it will be your last."

"Yeah, I'll make sure." Judai began sailing into the foggy distance as the sun began to rise over the horizon. As Judai went farther into the ocean and the sun raised higher, the sun painted the sky a blood red.

Areka, Fubuki, Junko, and Momoe ran at top speed towards the docks, when they saw a few people walking towards them. The four students stopped, and noticed Saiou and Manjoume, flanked by a few cronies. The girls backed behind Fubuki, who glared at the group of white subordinates.

"Ahh, Fubuki-kun!" Saiou called mystically.

"Saiou," Fubuki nodded curtly.

"I have a message to deliver to you!" Saiou called.

"What are you two doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on a ship?" Fubuki demanded. "Where are Judai and my sister?"

"That is on the message. The message is," Saiou began, he glared at the 4 non-white students, glowing an eerie purple aura, making the group uneasy, "that you should forget about seeing your sister and her boyfriend ever again! At least not in control of their own bodies!" Saiou cackled evilly as his group walked passed the four frozen duelists.

They couldn't move for a few moments, before Fubuki regained his senses. "C'mon! Asuka and Judai are in danger! They obviously have been led into a trap!" the students ran off to rescue their two friends.

Judai's boat sped through the waves, splitting the water behind it to the side. After a few moments, he saw a silhouette of a small ship. It was swiftly gaining size, however. Judai's eyes widened at how large the ship actually was as he came closer to the ship.

"What the hell…" he murmured, amazed that something like this could be hidden for such a long time. "Well, this explains the whole 'unable to be found' part of our journey. I'd never look out here, because there's too much of an area to search!"

His boat came closer to the ship, when the motor died out on the boat. Judai looked back. "What the…?" Judai sighed. "Leave it to the Society to make this as difficult as possible." Judai grabbed a pair of oars, and began rowing to the side of the ship. He reached the side of the ship, and grabbed the ladder off the side of the giant ship. Judai began pulling himself up. "Saiou, I'm coming for ya! If there's one hair harmed on Asuka, I'll treat you to a living hell."

Judai climbed over the railing of the ship and stood up. He looked around, and noticed that there was nobody on the ship. "How does a ship this far out…Damn it, it must've been a trick." Judai began to turn around and was prepared to climb back down when he heard a door open. He whirled around and saw the door that had just opened.

Judai walked over to the door and looked down the staircase behind it. The brown-haired boy frowned. "Why lead me through a giant ship?" He turned his head back and forth looking for anyone else. "Guess I'll bite. Better than rowing all the way back to Duel Academia…" He opened the door farther to let in some sunlight, but all he saw were stairs.

He felt a pit grow at the bottom of his stomach. He gulped and wiped some sweat off his brow. "Well, here I go…" He began walking down the steps and into the darkness.

Fubuki, Areka, Momoe, and Junko all arrived at the dock. "Where to now?" Areka thought aloud.

Fubuki looked around, before pulling out a pair of binoculars from his pocket. He adjusted them to a visible position, and peered through them. He slowly looked from side to side, when he saw the silhouette of a ship on the horizon. He lowered the binoculars. "There it is," the brown-haired student said.

"So now what?" Momoe asked.

"Now, we go and get Asuka, Sho, Kenzan, and Judai out of there," someone walking up behind them said. The four students whirled around to see Edo and Misawa walking up behind them. The two boys looked like they had a few scrapes on them, but otherwise all right.

"What happened to you two?" Areka asked.

"We were stuck inside a cavern for a while after I went to the Ra Yellow Dorm," Edo explained.

"Wait, Sho and Kenzan are on that boat, too?" Fubuki asked hastily.

"Yeah, I went to the Ra Dorm to see if I could find where Saiou's new headquarters was. I didn't find it exactly, but I learned about this ship from there. As soon as we got out, we came over here."

"We gotta go help them!" Junko shouted.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Misawa said, jumping into a motorboat.

"Let's go!" Edo said, as he entered another boat, joined by Areka. Fubuki, Junko, and Momoe grabbed the last one and sailed out towards the Metsu Hadou.

Judai reached the bottom of the stairs, and stared into the darkness. He walked down a long hallway, and opened the door at the end of the hallway. He was shot with a cold blast, causing him to rub his arms. "Wish I had been smart enough to bring my jacket," he murmured. "Been through worse than this, though."

He walked forward, careful with his footing, as there were some ice spots on the floor. He continued on through the new hallway, getting colder and colder the deeper into the ship he went. He began to see his breath halfway into the ship. Shortly thereafter, the area was lit up again, as there were lights at the end of the hallway, revealing ice that covered most of the walls and ceiling.

Judai was appalled at the sight. "What is with this ship? Nobody's here, yet there are lights on…AND IT'S FREAKING FREEZING IN HERE!!!!" He finally reached then end of the long lit hallway, and opened the door. Her walked into what looked like a map room. "What the…?" He looked around. Then he saw a red flashing light on one of the buttons on a console on the side of the wall. He walked over to it, and pressed it. A screen lowered on the far wall. The screen lit up, and revealed the diviner Judai had been searching for.

"Saiou…" Judai said through his teeth.

"Welcome, Yuki Judai," the mystical voice from the man began, "unfortunately, I had more important matters to attend to than worrying about you. Sending this world forward to its destiny takes time and money. Mostly time, however. Time I cannot afford to lose. I know you rushed here as if in flight in an effort to find your destiny, but I cannot remain around to wait for you."

"Figures. You sent me on a wild goose-chase from the start," Judai growled.

"However, your travel was not in vain," Saiou continued. "I have left a playmate with you. It is the one you have come searching for."

"No way…" Judai whispered.

Saiou grinned maliciously and chuckled. "That's right, Judai. I have left you to duel with, Tenjoin Asuka." The wall next to the screen and Judai began rising off the ground. Judai turned his head to the side.

Standing there with the sun behind her was Judai's crush. But at the same time, it was not she. The Asuka that stood before Judai had an extremely cold stare. Her normally passionate eyes looked faded and lifeless. Her soft smile was cocked into an arrogant smirk. It appeared as if someone had stolen Asuka's body and placed within her another soul.

"Asuka…no…" Judai breathed.

**AJ**: Alright, that was extremely pathetic.

**Bil**: Ehh, it could have been better, could've been worse, too.

**AJ**: I'm worried about the 'could've been better' part is what worries me.

**Bil**: Oh, shut up. Grow a set.

**AJ**: You're probably right.

**Bil**: I KNOW I'm right.


	17. Frostbite

**AJ**: So it begins.

**Bil**: What begins?

**AJ**: Haven't you been following the story…at all?

**Bil**: Not really…

**AJ**: -sighs-…Then go back and read it, I'm not gonna explain it.

**Bil**: Be that way, asshole.

**AJ**: In the words of Denis Leary, "I'm an Asshole, and proud of it." By the way…DA BEARSSS. Even though if I were a betting man I'd take the Colts.

**Bil**: Covering all your bases, I see?

**AJ**: Indeed.

Chapter 16: Frostbite 

"Meet my Hikari no Shito, Tenjoin Asuka," the recording of Saiou stated gleefully, before turning off. Judai just stared in shock at the girl he had a crush on since they met. She had the same figure and looks as before, making her out to be the same girl. However, her light brown eyes, normally full of passion, had been dulled. Her normally warm smile was cocked into a cocky smirk. Her soft, caring eyes were morphed into a cold, hard glare. It was as if Asuka's original soul had been sucked out of her, and someone else's was implanted in its place.

"Asuka…what happened…?" Judai breathed, not wanting to believe it was really she.

"Nothing's happened. I've just been shown the truth from Saiou-sama. He showed me that true victory cannot be attained by relying on others, because others can betray you. Like you, Yuki Judai, always trying to make me feel secure around you. I'm sick of it." Asuka's smirk turned to a frown, as her eyes burned with the hatred and rage. Judai's stomach lurched when she said his name, as it sounded as if she had released an animosity that the blonde had bottled up over the last year and a half.

"You don't honestly believe…" the brown-haired duelist began.

"SILENCE!" Asuka shot back immediately. "I will not talk with a man who will admit any of the obvious atrocities he has committed. You are without a doubt, the most arrogant, selfish, horrid human being I have ever met."

"What are you talking about?" Judai flared.

"You have been setting me up to betray me since the beginning," Asuka accused.

"Asuka…"

"Enough. I will show you once and for all I don't need anyone. Come, I challenge you to a duel." She turned around and walked into the giant dark room behind her. Judai didn't move.

"No." Judai eyes stung as he fought back tears.

She turned her head and stopped walking. "You refuse?"

"Don't misunderstand, I want to duel you." Judai's voice was shaky, as he fought to stay strong. "But I want to duel Tenjoin Asuka, not this Hikari no Shito, or whatever you now call yourself."

"It is a shame. You just show how cold-hearted you actually are, and how right I am, by making that decision." She took a remote off of her belt and pointed it to her left. She clicked a button and a few lights turned on, revealing a figure tied from the ceiling behind a large glass window, hovering over a tank of saltwater. Upon further inspection, Judai discovered that the figure was actually _figures_. The boy didn't need to strain his eyes to know who they were.

"Sho! Kenzan!" Judai cried.

"Duel me," the female duelist commanded. "Or your friends become food for the piranhas in that tank."

Judai had no idea what to do. He had to get Asuka back, that much was clear. But he wanted to do it _without_ dueling her, if at all possible. But now he had come at a crossroads. He made the obvious decision, though if it was right, he didn't have a clue.

"Alright, Asuka, let's duel." Asuka grinned maliciously, turned around and walked towards the far wall. Judai reluctantly followed her.

"Wait a moment," Asuka ordered. "You will need to put these one." The girl handed Judai some ominous looking shackles. He looked at them and picked his head up to get a hint from her what he was supposed to do. Asuka placed the shackles on her neck, on her legs, and on her arms.

"What are these?" he asked her.

"Put them on. They'll show who is the stronger of the two of us." Realizing he didn't have a choice, he did so.

As the two walked towards the far wall, Judai asked, "So, where are we dueling?"

Asuka turned her head, revealing her cold stare. "Over the water, where there will be no distractions." The far wall they were walking towards began rising off the ground. The light from the sun shone in, revealing that they were on top of the dueling field. The field disconnected from the magnets holding it in place, and the whole floor began moving out over the ocean. Asuka began moving towards one end of the duel field.

Judai stared at the white-bearing girl. "Asuka," he said solemnly. The girl turned and glared daggers at the black-shirted boy. "Is there anyway we can resolve this?"

The girl looked at him oddly, as if she pitied him. As soon as he noticed it, however, the expression transformed into an arrogant smirk. "No way other than this. If I am to attain the ultimate strength, I need to remove my greatest weakness, you."

Judai didn't understand what that meant. 'Greatest weakness? What have I done to weaken her?' he wondered. The boy turned and walked over to the other side of the duel field.

He suddenly felt the ground jerk as the duel field locked into place. The ground then began to vibrate he looked off the side of the field, and saw that the water underneath them was moving. His eyes widened as he turned and looked back at Asuka, who grinned evilly. "That's right," she answered before he could even ask. "If you fall off, then you will plunge into the sea, that is, if you don't hit the hull of the ship first."

Areka breathed a sigh of relief, as she looked down. The water underneath them had begun moving, she watched as the motorboats began fading away in the distance. She looked up as Edo and Fubuki reached down to help pull her up. When she climbed over the railing she brushed off some of the dirt on her shirt. "Well, this is just great," the girl groaned.

"We better hope that there will be another exit off of this boat, or we will be in serious trouble," Fubuki stated.

"I doubt it. Why would they set a trap, if there was an escape?" she inquired.

"In case Asuka won," Edo answered. "It doesn't matter. We sent an e-mail with my phone to Samejima. Hopefully now he'll see Saiou as an actual threat, and not ignore it like he did originally."

"You mean to say he knew of Saiou before this all started?" Fubuki inquired annoyed.

"Saiou did go to see him before the tournament, I know that much. And with all the people flanking Saiou at almost all times of the day, I think it would be pretty obvious who would be in charge of the Society, don't you?" Edo responded coolly.

"I guess so…" Fubuki answered.

"Right now, we have to find out where Judai is," Edo stated.

"What about my sister?" Fubuki demanded.

"To be honest, I don't really care," Edo shot, causing Fubuki to grab Edo by the scruff of his jacket.

"Don't make me do something I'm going to regret later, Junior," Fubuki spoke firmly and normally so that he got his point across, but it was obvious anger was in his voice. "I don't want anybody to get hurt, here, but Judai isn't the only person on this ship. Remember that."

Edo grabbed Fubuki's wrists and forced him to release the jacket. "You remember this. Judai is Saiou's main target. He couldn't give a damn about your sister right now. However, Saiou's second best duelist is your sister. So my guess is, we find Judai, we find your sister."

Fubuki was about to respond, when the group heard a young male's and a cold female's voice scream, "**DUEL!!!**"

Asuka and Judai both drew their first five cards onto their hand. "I'll go first, Draw!" Asuka sneered. "I'll summon Etoile Cyber in attack mode. Then I'll set one card facedown, and end."

Judai recognized this move. It was the same one that Asuka pulled when they dueled the first time. Judai practically knew what the facedown was, Doble Passe. However, although he would take some damage, He knew that Asuka would take some as well. He decided to spring the trap. 'Hopefully, this duel will wake her up,' he thought. "Draw! I'll summon Elemental Hero Sparkman, in attack mode!" he declared. "Sparkman, attack Etoile Cyber!" Sparkman leapt into the air, and powered up a ball of lightening into his hand. He shot the arrow-like bolt straight at the creature.

Asuka smirked. "I activate Doble Passé!" she stated. Etoile Cyber phased out for a moment, as the bolt of lightening shot through the image, and struck Asuka straight into the chest. She screamed out in pain as electricity shot through her body. But it was not the blue lightening of Sparkman's attack. It was red lightening, and it seemed to be coming from the shackles she placed on herself. She slumped to one knee, as her body quivered in pain. Her life points lowered to 2400.

"Asuka!" Judai called worriedly. "Asuka, are you ok!?"

She slowly picked up her head, and grinned even more maliciously than she did before. "I'm perfectly fine, Judai, because you will now feel the same. Now, my monster gets to wage a direct attack on you! And I'm sure you know, that if she attacks directly, her attack points increase by 500." Etoile Cyber gracefully glided over the ground directly at Judai. However, Judai looked at the figure, and the monster saw something glistening off of the creature's face behind her. They were tears. Etoile Cyber was crying. The monster kicked him in the ribs as she sped by, and red lightening reverberated throughout his body. He howled in pain, and stumbled back slightly. He clutched his chest and slumped to the ground, as the electricity subsided. His breathing became sporadic and painful. His Life Points dropped to 2300.

"Stand up, you weak fool," Asuka demanded. "Seeing you writhe in pain only makes me feel more pathetic for ever being defeated by you."

Judai slowly rose to his feet, grunting as he rose. His body was in pain, but he what hurt more was the fact that Asuka got them both into this duel, knowingly and willingly.

"I'll end my turn with a facedown," he said.

"Finally, Draw!" Asuka looked at her cards. "I'll summon Frozen Enchantress (1600/1200), in attack mode! Now I activate her effect, once per turn, by sacrificing this monster's ability to battle, I can place one Frost Counter onto one of your monsters. That monster cannot change its battle position. I shall place one Frost Counter onto Sparkman." A blast of a frozen cold wind shot out of the staff held by the magician, blasting Sparkman in the legs. Judai braced himself, as he suddenly felt the frozen wind blow at him. He lowered his arms, after he felt the wind subside. His eyes widened at the sight he saw. Sparkman had ice covering everything on his body from his waist on down.

"Next, I activate the Permanent Spell card, Absolute Ice Wall! Now all monsters with Frost Counters on them have their attack points lowered by 500 points for each Frost Counter that is placed on them." Sparkman was blasted by another blast of frozen wind, this time at his arms. The result didn't freeze his arms in place, but they were now colored blue, as if there was frostbite on the hero, whose attack was now only at 1100.

"Now, Etoile Cyber, attack his Sparkman!" Etoile Cyber once again sped across the field, this time at the weakened hero. The monster kicked the monster in its side, as the monster exploded into pieces.

Judai once again roared out in pain, as the electricity flowed from the bindings through his body. Smoke floated off the burning skin of Judai. He stumbled backwards, before falling once again to the ground, as he lost a few more LP.

"I'll place one card facedown. Your turn."

Judai slowly rose to his feet, angered by Asuka's actions. "Asuka, what's with you? Are you that weak that you let Saiou control you like you do?" He was desperately searching for anyway to get through to Asuka.

The girl wouldn't play along. She began laughing. "Aww, now that you are hurting, you decide that you want to talk? Too late. I will defeat you, showing my loyalty to Saiou-sama, and in turn proving that true strength comes from oneself, not from anyone else."

"Snap out of it, that's not you talking! The Asuka I know doesn't rely on anyone at all, she is a calm, cool, and collected individual. But she would never sacrifice anything to win a duel. You're willing to remove friends from your life just to win a simple card game? Do you even know what it's like to be alone?"

Asuka stared at Judai. Apparently, she had not thought about that. Judai realized that he had hit a niche in Saiou's plan. But she then smiled greedily, and said, "Once I beat you, I will find out how sweet it is."

"You still have to defeat me," Judai stated. "Draw!" 'That facedown must be another trap. I can't let my Life Points get hit again, my mind is already a little fuzzy. Luckily, I got this guy.' "I common Elemental Hero Wildheart! Wildheart, attack her Etoile Cyber!" Wildheart drew his sword and ran towards Etoile Cyber. The creature actually smiled, as if it was happy to be destroyed.

"I activate my Quick-Play Spell card, Frozen Shot! This card allows me to place one Frozen Counter onto a monster on your field, and I choose Wildheart!" Wildheart was immediately met halfway through its attack with a cold shot at his legs, sealing its battle position. "Now, my Absolute Ice Wall's effect activates, lowering your monster attack by 500!" Another cold wave rushed towards Wildheart, this time at the monster's arms, sealing a third of its attack points. Etoile Cyber's face fell, as it destroyed Wildheart, shattering the hero's hologram and lowering Judai's LP by another 200.

Judai again howled with pain, as his LP dropped slightly again. He slumped to the ground for a third time, on his hands and knees this time. His breathing became heavy. His insides became cold. Winged Kuriboh, sensing its owner's distress and pain, floated out of its card, and up to Judai's shoulder. It chirped into Judai's ear to get his attention, and try to encourage him. Judai just quivered in pain. The boy's Aibou sighed, and looked ahead, when it suddenly saw something that surprised it. It once again chirped at Judai, this time to get his attention. The noise became more and more forceful.

Judai looked up and past Asuka. Judai eyes widened, as he saw standing behind Asuka Duel Spirits of all of the female duelist's Cyber girls and her Blade Skater. They were like Guardian Angels of the girl. In the middle of them, was Asuka. Not the Saiou controlled one, but Tenjoin Asuka, the one Judai had fallen for, dressed in a beautiful blue gown, much like a real queen would she had on her hands blue silk gloves. She turned her head and smiled warmly at the young duelist. She then mouthed, "I believe in you." Asuka and her Duel Spirits slowly faded away.

Judai's insides immediately warmed. He got the strength to duel again back inside of him. He smiled at his partner and said, "Thanks, Winged Kuriboh." The small creature squealed a cheer, before disappearing back inside its card. Judai rose to his feet, smirking at Asuka.

Asuka frowned at the boy. "What's with the look?"

"I just realized something. That no matter how much Saiou may attempt to do so, he'll never completely control you." Asuka's eyes narrowed. "You may not believe me, but somewhere inside of you, is the real Tenjoin Asuka, and before this duel ends, I will draw her out. Count on it."

**AJ**: Another late night, though I'm not as tired this time.

**Bil**: Preparing for our Super Bowl Party?

**AJ**: Your Super Bowl Party…I have to work.

**Bil**: Sucks for you…XD

**AJ**: Not really. My dad's calling my in sick on Monday. And I'll just record the game so I can watch it when I get home.

**Bil**: Dammit…


	18. Unforgiven

**AJ**: Just so everyone knows, Frozen Enchantress and Absolute Ice Wall aren't Original Cards. Asuka uses both in the manga, but FE's name is Cold Enchanter (Despite the card's picture displays a female) and it's effect calls for a discard, not sacrificing its ability to battle for a turn.

Bil: Some people would say that what you did was just base a card off of another card. Meaning it is an Original Card.

**AJ**: Meh…I just don't wanna take credit if I don't think I rightfully earned.

**Bil**: You mean like making this crappy fanfic?

**AJ**: -sighs-…Yes, Master, like making this crappy fanfic.

Chapter 17: Unforgiven 

The six duelists looked over the edge of the boat, horrified at what they were watching. Judai only had one facedown on his field, while Asuka had two monsters and Absolute Ice Wall on the field. Judai was on the ground, still trying to recover from the last shock.

"What is going on?" Junko asked, worriedly.

"Where's that red electricity coming from?" Momoe inquired.

Edo glared at the duel. "I have an idea. I got some information at the Ra Dorm. See those metal braces they're wearing?" He pointed in the general direction of the two duelists. The others nodded. "They are used in the Under-leagues of dueling, to make it more interesting. They are activated by a reduction in Life Points. The duelist whose Life Points are reduced is electrocuted for a set period of time. I have never actually seen one firsthand, but I had heard they were still in the experimental stages."

"Why create something like that?" Misawa wondered aloud.

"Probably to re-create the duels like they had in the Battle City Finals," Fubuki spoke, with his fists clenched and his voice being forced through his teeth. "The people who made those obviously wanted money, as do the under-leagues. They must use them to get customers. Am I right, Phoenix?"

Edo just nodded. He turned back to the duel. "But why would Judai agree to something like this?" the duelist muttered to himself. Then the pro's eyes widened, and he turned his head over to Fubuki, who was looking back. They both immediately turned around and ran from the deck towards the opened door that Judai entered earlier.

Areka turned around. "Where are you going?" she questioned, annoyed that they seemed to be running away.

"There's gotta be something else going on here!" Edo called back to them. "If I know Judai, he wouldn't duel Asuka in her state if he could help it. There must be some insurance Saiou has on here that he has down there!"

Areka stared at the two, then understood. Sho and Kenzan were still on the ship. "C'mon, guys. They may need help!" Misawa nodded. Junko and Momoe, however, didn't budge.

"What are you guys waiting for?" Areka called angrily.

"We want to stay here and support Judai," Junko stated somberly.

"We want to get the old Asuka back," Momoe said.

Areka was about to object, when Misawa motioned for her to be silent. "Ok, Judai needs all the support he can get, but make sure you cheer for Asuka, to fight her way back to normal, too." The girls nodded, and Misawa and Areka dashed off after Fubuki and Edo.

**(Asuka's Life Points 2400, Judai's Life Points 2000)**

Asuka glared at the brown-haired boy. "What do you mean 'the real Tenjoin Asuka'? I'm right here. I am the real Tenjoin Asuka."

"You can deny it all you want," Judai smiled, "but the actual Asuka is in there somewhere, and I will draw her out of you. No matter what it takes."

Asuka began cackling evilly. "Go ahead and try. While you worry about trying to change me, I'll be whittling away your Life Points, torturing you each and every step of the way."

"Go ahead and try it. I end my turn," he stated, realizing he hadn't done so.

"Draw!" Asuka called. "I'll now summon Hail Cyber (1300/1500), in attack mode! Now, Etoile Cyber, attack Judai directly!" Etoile Cyber looked back, disbelievingly. The creature sadly turned around, and sped towards Judai.

"I activate my trap card, A Hero Emerges! I'll explain how it works, though you probably know. You select one card in my hand, and if it is a monster card, I can special summon it, otherwise it is sent to the graveyard," Judai told her.

"I know how it works," she called angrily. " I'm not some little kid. I choose the second card from your right."

Judai smiled. "Thanks, you chose, Elemental Hero Bladedge!" The gold-colored hero appeared on the field.

Asuka grimaced slightly. "Because a monster was summoned, I can recall my attack. I will do so." Etoile Cyber glided back to Asuka's side of the field. "Now, I'll use Frozen Enchantress' effect to place one Frozen Counter onto your monster." The cold-themed monster's stave began glowing. The mage spun the staff over her head, and then aimed the spinning weapon directly Bladedge. A freezing wind sailed from the creature, and blasted Bladedge in the legs, freezing his legs.

"Now my spell card's effect activates, lowering your monster's attack points by 500!" Another blue stream of energy fired at the minotaur-themed hero. The blast hit his arms, dulling the armor into a blue-tinged color. The monster's attack point meter dropped to 2100. "Now, I'll set a card and end."

"Draw!" He looked at Asuka's field, more specifically at Etoile Cyber. The monster's spirit came out of its card again, and stood beside its hologram on the duel field. "I'm sorry for this," the duelist murmured. The Duel Spirit nodded at Judai, signaling that it didn't mind.

Judai then looked at Asuka. "I'm sorry for this, also Asuka. Bladedge, attack Etoile Cyber!" Bladedge dashed across the field, and flipped up the blades on his arms. The Hero sped through the Cyber Girl, which was destroyed in an explosion. Asuka screeched out in pain again, as her Life Points dropped to 1700.

"My body…it hurts…" the girl muttered. The voice, however, was not cold or harsh. It contained the warmth Judai knew so well.

"Asuka, is that you?" the boy hastily said.

The girl quivered in pain, before lifting her head slightly, revealing that she still had a cold glare.

"Never better," she sneered. "Anything else?"

Judai was hesitant. He looked at her, hoping that the real Asuka was ok. It may have been Saiou controlling her, but it was still Asuka's body he was attacking. "I'll set two cards and end."

"Finally, Draw!" She looked at her hand. "I'll activate the Permanent Spell card, White Night's Fort!" Immediately after she slid the card into place, large crystalline Ice structures erupted from behind her. Ice then spread across the ground, and slid underneath Judai's feet. "This card makes it so neither player can activate Trap Cards during their opponent's Battle Phase." Judai grimaced, as one of his facedowns was Mirror Force. "Next, I activate Frozen Enchantress' effect again, placing another Frozen Counter onto Bladedge, which will lower its attack points by another 500 points." The cold snap hit Bladedge in the arms again, turning his arm into an even bluer color.

"Now, my Hail Cyber will attack!" The monster gathered a large ball of icicles in the middle of its palms.

Judai glared. "Are you trying to hurt yourself?" he inquired.

"Oh, right, my Hail Cyber has an effect I haven't told you about yet. When she attacks a monster with Frozen Counters on it, her attack points increase by 200 for each Frozen Counter." The creature began glowing with a bluish-white light increasing her attack points by 1700, before she shattered the hail ball, blowing shards of ice directly at Bladedge, shattering the creature's hologram.

Judai roared in pain again, as his Life Points decreased to 1900. He slumped to the ground. His skin seared, as if he had been touched by a lit torch. He looked at his arms. They were scarred with burns. He lifted his head at Asuka.

"I'll set one card. Turn end."

"Asuka, we can't continue like this," Judai shouted at her.

"You mean _you_ cannot continue like this."

"No, neither of us can. Your body must be in pain just like mine."

"Yeah, right. I will see you will be destroyed, and removed from my life, forever!" Asuka began laughing when she finished her statement.

Judai felt his heart get stabbed by the statement. Even though it wasn't Asuka saying those things on purpose, it was still her voice.

"I have to warm your body up, and the only way to do that may be to win this duel," Judai finally stated. "Draw!" He looked at his hand, and found that he drew the card he wanted. "I activate the Magic Card, Polymerization! I fuse my E-Heroes Avian and Burstinatrix into Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" The two heroes jumped into the vortex created by Polymerization, and emerged from the vortex was the Flame Wingman. The hero floated down from the vortex and landed on the ground in front of Judai.

"I don't think so," Asuka told him. "I activate the trap card, Fusion Freezing! This card allows me to destroy one Fusion monster on the field. Then, those Fusion-material monsters are special summoned back to the field in attack mode. Those monsters then have one Frozen Counter placed on each of them." Flame Wingman was enveloped by an icicle. The icicle then shattered and Burstinatrix and Avian flew out of the shattered ice. The two monsters were blasted by two extremely cold gusts of wind each, placing a Frozen Counter on each, and lowering the two monsters' attack points by 500 points.

Judai grimaced knowing what was coming. "I'll end."

"Draw!" She glanced at her card before declaring her move. "Now Frozen Enchantress, attack his Avian!" The Ice-themed mage blasted the wind-themed hero with a cold blast, annihilating him. Electricity pulsed through Judai once again, as he screamed out in intense pain. He stumbled backwards a few steps, and clutched onto his chest. His breathing became shallow and rapid. Sweat dripped off his head so quickly, it was like blood dripping from a deep cut.

"Now, my Hail Cyber will finish you off by attacking your Burstinatrix. And since Burstinatrix has a Frozen Counter on it, my Hail Cyber's attack increases by 200 points, to 1500!" Hail Cyber gathered up droplets of water into a crystalline ball, then shattered the ball, sending shards of ice like a machine-gun at the female hero.

"I activate my facedown Quick-Play Spell, Emergency Provisions!" Judai weakly called. "By sacrificing a magic or trap card on my field, I gain 1000 Life Points. So I'll sacrifice my facedown Mirror Force, and gain 1000 Life Poi---" He was cut off as Hail Cyber's attack connected with Burstinatrix, destroying the hero. Asuka cackled eagerly, as her monster's attack connected.

Judai howled as he fell forward. His body quivered, as agony was all he knew and felt. Anguish from the electricity that raged through his body from the tips of his toes to the ends of his fingers, grief from participating in this unforgiving duel, suffering from the fact that all of this came from Asuka.

Asuka's laughter suddenly stopped. Judai heard the girl groan slightly. He picked his head up off the ground, and saw Asuka holding her head, and looking at him with a worried look on her face. "Ju-Judai? Wha…AAGGH!" She dropped to her knee and clutched her head with both of her hands. "My head…what's wrong with me…"she moaned.

Judai noticed she was fighting with herself. "Get up and duel! You're about to eliminate your greatest weakness!" a cold voice came from within her.

"But…but Judai is in pain…" Asuka's normal voice stated.

"He needs to be eradicated!" the cold voice again ordered.

"He's my friend!" the calm, soothing voice shouted.

"He is going to betray you!"

"Don't listen to Saiou, Asuka! Fight it!" Judai grunted.

Asuka struggled on the ground. She groaned and screamed in pain, as she held onto her head. Finally, she stopped struggling and looked up at Judai. Judai saw her normal warm and passionate eyes, the ones he knew so well. Then she lowered her head, and screamed out in pain again.

This time she slowly rose to her feet, chuckling evilly. She picked her head up, and revealed the cold hard glare that Saiou had given her. She smirked at the boy, "You almost had me, Judai. Your pain almost caused me to get enough sympathy to trick me into believing you were right. But you tried this trick before, and it won't work this time."

Judai's face fell. He lost all hope, as well as his desire to duel. He lowered his head. Gradually, he picked himself up off the ground. He limped over to the edge of the duel field. He turned around, revealing his pained, suffering, depressed expression to Asuka. The girl saw him and strained her eyes to see the boy's face. Her eyes widened at the look he gave her.

Judai slowly raised his hand to his deck and drew a card. Without even looking at it, he stated somberly, "I end."

Asuka didn't know exactly what was going on. "What are you doing?" she questioned rather harshly. However, it was noticeable that the harshness came from worry, not from anger and hatred.

"C'mon, attack me and end my misery," he stated firmly.

"What do you mean?" Asuka inquired.

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" he said, his firm voice now becoming a little shaky. "Attack me, so I can fall off this platform from the electricity and give you relief for finally getting rid of your weakness. I realize all I give you is suffering."

"Judai…" Asuka said softly.

"What? Why don't you attack?" Judai screamed, tearfully yet keeping his voice as steady as possible. "Isn't this what you want? You finishing me off? All you have to do is attack me, and it will be over."

"Why are you doing this?" Asuka, whose voice now lost most of its coldness, demanded.

"Because I have seen what Saiou's world will become. Everyone will just vie for the taste of victory, sacrificing everything and anything just to get it. It will be desired like the sweetest liquid, like the barest drop of honey. There will be no trust anymore, and everyone will just step on everyone else to gain closer to that sweet victory. No one will compete in anything just for fun anymore. I cannot, will not, live in a world like that!" he shouted, unable to control his emotions any longer. Tears soon came streaming down his face. "Go ahead and attack me! You'll be doing us both a favor."

Asuka just stared at him in silence. This is what she wanted, right? She wanted to defeat Judai, even remove him, if at all possible. But then, why did she feel so miserable. "Judai…"

"Shut up!" Asuka cringed at Judai's command. "You call me your greatest weakness, yet I have no idea what I have done that has weakened or hurt you so bad. You called me selfish, do you think for one second that I have done this for myself? Do you even know why I've searched far and wide to find you and free you from the Society?" Asuka slowly shook her head. The faded glare in her eyes still remained, but her stare had now softened with care and concern for her opponent.

"You say that you want to be alone, yet you have never tasted what it actually means to be alone. Allow me to give you a small sampling from my past," Judai said, as he wiped tears from his face. He closed his eyes, as the painful memories rushed instantly back into his mind that he had buried deep within his subconscious for two years.

"Since the time I was three years old, all I can remember is pain, physical, emotional, and mental. I was born into a family, and remember nothing of my mother and father, except the nightmares I have of lying in a crib surrounded by fire, echoes of screams ringing in my ears. The next family I knew became a physically abusive bunch, which I eventually escaped from for my own safety. Next, I wandered the streets, with nothing on my back but the clothes I had on my back. I had no one and nothing with me. All I had was my deck and my survival instincts. I stole for my survival, and bullied anyone I knew with my deck. I had an emptiness I tried to fill with items and conquest, but all they did was make the bottomless pit bigger. It wasn't until an accident occurred one day, which resulted in me being taken in by an elderly man. He taught me the only to truly fill the hole within my soul was with friendship, trust, hope, faith, and love."

He opened his eyes, as the passion flared from his pupils. "Which is why I REFUSE to follow Saiou, or live in the world he desires. So, why don't you finish me off. End my torment and prove yourself that you obtained your 'true victory'. You will find out that it is a meaningless victory."

Asuka's mouth was wide open, and her eyes just stared in shock at learning of Judai's past. 'Is he right?' she mused. 'He has to be. He hasn't been as passionate as he just was before…and what reason would he have to lie.'

'He just is trying to trick you, don't listen to him!' a voice within her ordered.

She felt her head throb again, this time more intensely than ever before. She lost her balance and fell to her knees. She held her head. "Get out of my head…" she groaned. "I want to go back…back to my friends…back to Judai!"

'I won't let you work this hard to this point and just throw it away all for a single boy!' the voice inside her raged.

**(Asuka's Life Points 1700, Judai's Life Points 1000)**

**AJ**: Kind of a cliffhanger. Will Asuka attack Judai, or will she break free of Saiou's influence on her own.

**Bil**: Actually, not bad.

**AJ**: Yeah, right. You're just saying that.

**Bil**: No, really, it's good. Especially the whole 'Judai's going to die' part, I like it.

**AJ**: Oh, well, thank you…(No need to tell him that I won't be killing Judai, right?)


	19. Wake Up Your Heart

**AJ**: Just a quick note before we get to it. Fusion Freezing and Hail Cyber are also cards Asuka uses in the manga. Hail Cyber's manga effect, however, is that it decreases an attacking monster's attack points by 300, when, of course, it is attacked.

**Bil**: Wait, we're not gonna talk?

**AJ**: STORY!

**Chapter 18: Wake Up Your Heart**

Fubuki, Areka, and Misawa all stood in shock at what had transpired. They had tried to free Sho and Kenzan, but all paths to the container that held them were sealed. They realized that Saiou would pull no punches, and that the only one that could release the two boys would be Asuka. They had no choice but to watch the duel. Edo, however, hadn't given up just yet, and continued to search for a way to set them free.

"All this time…Judai had buried a past like that…" Misawa said.

"Unreal…we all come from different backgrounds…but to have come from something like he did…" Fubuki breathed.

"I know. Not all of us have had great pasts, but pretty much everyone at Duel Academia had a real family to support them. But Judai…" Areka said, as she couldn't finish her statement.

"It's a past that is even more unreal when you hear the whole story," Edo told them as he walked up behind them. "What he told just now is a brief summary, but that boy holds a dark past within him. What amazes me about him is how he was able to change into what he is now."

They all looked at Edo in silence. "What do you mean?" Fubuki finally asked.

Edo looked at them. He looked like he was about to say something, but then closed his eyes and shook his head. "I think it's better if he tells you himself," Edo told them. They understood, and turned back around to watch and pray that Judai could get through to Asuka.

Asuka struggled on the ground. She held her throbbing head. 'Strength or my friends? Victory or faith? Which is a true victory?' Those questions among others rolled continuously. She then boiled it down to one question; a choice between two people.

She opened her eyes, and saw underneath her a dirt road. She raised her head up, and then saw a fork in the path. Picking up her head a little more, she saw there were two figures, one on each path. She strained her eyes to see who they were. A sun rose up above in the distance, revealing the two figures. Down the Left path was Saiou Takuma, and down the other was Yuki Judai.

"Saiou or Judai?" she whispered to herself.

She came back to reality. She saw Judai across the duel field, standing at the edge, looking like he was about to fall. He was staring at her with a mixture of pity, concern, and pain. She had never seen Judai look at her like that. Asuka finally broke down. For the first time she remembered, she cried in public.

"Asuka…" Judai said.

"Judai, what are we doing? Why are we fighting like this?" she sobbed. Judai looked at her warmly. "My head, it hurts," she groaned. "Judai, I don't want to fight you anymore, but a part of me is trying to force me to do so. Please…help me…"

"Asuka, I don't want you to be hurt or alone anymore," Judai said. "But I'm not the only here who wants to help you." He looked towards Fubuki, Areka, Edo, and Misawa, then up at Momoe and Junko. Asuka saw them. Nowhere near her was Saiou, but her friends and family were still there. She realized, she was never alone to begin with, and even if she did something horrible, she would still have them to turn to. Asuka smiled.

Suddenly she screamed out in pain. "Asuka!" Judai cried.

"I…I draw and End!" she shouted immediately. "Judai, help me break away!" was her last wish before she regained the cold glare that Saiou had given her.

"You!" the cold voiced Asuka screamed at Judai, who was smirking. "You did this! Damn you! I was so close!"

"Be quiet, Saiou! Asuka no longer belongs to you, and once this duel ends she'll be with us permanently! Draw!" Judai regained his desire to duel, and got a second wind. He looked at both cards, first the one he just drew, then the one in his hand, which revealed Bubbleman. "I'll summon Bubbleman, in attack mode! And because he's the only card on my field, I can draw 2 more cards! " He looked at them. "I activate Bubble Blaster and equip it to Bubbleman, increasing his attack points by 800! Now, Bubbleman, attack Frozen Enchantress!" The hero launched a bubble-shaped missile directly at the ice-themed mage, destroying it in a watery explosion. However, the enchantress had shot a blast of ice directly at Bubbleman. Asuka groaned as the red electricity shocked her again.

"Now I activate Bubble Blaster's effect! By sending this card to the graveyard, I can negate any damage done to Bubbleman, saving him and my Life Points!" the icy stream of energy hit the rocket launcher in Bubbleman's hands. "Now I activate Righteous Justice! Now, I can destroy a number of magic or trap cards on the field equal to the number of Elemental Heroes on my field! I'll get rid of your White Night's Fort!" The giant crystalline structure standing behind Asuka imploded, and the ice on the ground disappeared. "I'll set a card. Turn end."

"Draw! I'll set one card facedown, and attack your Bubbleman with Hail Cyber!" Asuka declared. Hail Cyber sent shards of ice, directly at Judai's monster, skewering the hero, and shattering the hologram. Judai roared in pain, as he lost more Life Points, and in turn was electrocuted even further. He, however, wouldn't allow himself to fall backwards and off the edge. He took a couple of steps forward, to make sure he wouldn't. Asuka frowned, obviously hoping that she would've knocked him off the edge.

"I activate my Trap Card, Hero Signal! This card allows me to summon a Level Four or lower monster with E-Hero in its name to my field. I'll summon Clayman, in defense mode!" Clayman appeared on the field, and stood in front of Judai like a wall.

"I'll end my turn." She spat.

'C'mon Asuka, fight Saiou! You must break free!' Judai pleaded in his mind. "Draw!" He looked at his card. "I'll set one card facedown, and end!"

"Draw!" Asuka called. She looked at her card, and smirked eagerly. "I'll activate my facedown, Call of the Haunted! This card allows me to bring back one monster from my graveyard, and I choose Frozen Enchantress! I activate Frozen Enchantress's effect, adding a Frozen Counter to Clayman!" A freezing wind blasted out of the staff in Frozen Enchantress's hand and hit Clayman directly in the legs, them in place. "Now, I sacrifice Frozen Enchantress and Hail Cyber to summon Mistress of the Frozen Blizzard!"

Judai gulped, as he got an ominous feeling from the monster as soon as it hit the field. "Now, I activate my Mistress's effect. By sending Absolute Ice Wall to the graveyard, I can destroy all monsters on the field with Frozen Counters on them!" She smirked. "And I'm sure you realized when you destroyed my Frozen Enchantress, that you are shocked even when your monster is destroyed." The mage lifted her staff into the air, and sent a shower of ice shards all over the field. The shards struck Clayman, destroying it by skewering it repeatedly with the icicles.

Judai howled in pain again. He swayed back and forth, but fought to stay conscious. 'I have to fight. I have to stay up. For Asuka!' he thought madly.

"Now, my monster can attack you directly!" Asuka ordered, immediately before the real Asuka took control.

"NOOOO!" she screamed as the monster followed the order. The creature used it's magic to gather a giant icicle into its hand. The icicle formed into a trident, which the monster sent directly at Judai. "JUDAI, LOOK OUT!" Asuka screamed. She couldn't watch, and she covered her eyes.

"Trap Card, open, Negate Attack!" A vortex appeared before Judai, and the spear that had been dangerously close to knocking Judai off the ledge of the duel field disappeared within the swirling vortex. "Negate attack stops an attack of your monster and ends your battle phase immediately," he breathed.

Asuka opened her eyes, and saw Judai still standing. She breathed a sigh of relief. But then she looked closer. Judai didn't fall off with that last attack, but he was dangerously close. And he was swaying back and forth. His breaths were rapid and shallow, and as if each and everyone was extremely painful. His eyes looked semi-glazed, and he appeared as if he was going to fall unconscious any second.

"Judai!" Asuka called worriedly. "Are you ok?" It was a standard question, as the answer was obvious to anyone who was there.

Judai just slowly nodded. "It's…still…your turn…" he quietly stated.

Asuka's eyes widened. 'Even with the pain he's in, he still thinking about saving me. I have to end this duel, I need to surrender!' She raised her hand, and lowered it towards her deck in her duel disk. Suddenly, her body froze. Her arm wouldn't move.

"Wh-what's…going on?" she grunted.

A deep, evil voice began cackling inside her mind. "You have released your mind, but I still control your body. I'll defeat Judai yet, with or without your help!"

"Asuka!" Fubuki called from inside the boat, "Finish the duel! You have to surrender!"

Asuka tried moving her hand. "I---I can't…! Someone in my mind won't let me! My hand won't budge!"

Judai frowned. "Saiou," he whispered. He knew he had to finish this, even if it meant that he wouldn't survive. He looked at Edo, who was glancing at him. Edo's eyes widened, and mouth gaped slightly, realizing what Judai would try to do. Judai nodded, and Edo slowly lowered his head. The pro then picked his head up, smirking, signaling that he got the message.

'Take care of everyone, Edo. I'm counting on you to defeat Saiou!' Judai thought, before looking back at Asuka.

"I end my turn!" Asuka screamed, hoping Judai would have a plan to get them out of this.

Judai smiled. "Asuka, I'm glad you are back. But we need to get you fully in control. I have a feeling that once we do, you will never fall under Saiou's influence again. Edo and the others will make sure of that."

Asuka looked at him oddly. "Edo and the others? What about you?" she asked quietly. Everyone else seemed to catch this as well, and looked at the boy.

"Asuka, there are some things you just have to do. And getting you back now is the top thing on my list of 'Things-To-Do'…no matter what it's going to take to do so," Judai explained. Asuka's eyes suddenly widened.

"You don't mean…" she mumbled.

"My turn, Draw!" he called. "I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards!" He did so. "Now I activate Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards, while discarding two of them!" He drew three more cards. "I discard Elemental Hero Necroshade and Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin! Now, because Necroshade is in the Graveyard, I can Normal Summon an Elemental Hero without any sacrifices! So, I'll summon to the field, Elemental Hero Neos, in attack mode!"

"Now, I set a card and end my turn."

Asuka stared at him. What was she supposed to do, now? She looked down at her deck, afraid that if she drew another card, that Saiou would take over again, and make her defeat Judai. Her hand then began moving of its own accord towards her deck. It drew a card, and showed it to her.

"Asuka, you have a choice to make now. Attack me!"

Asuka looked at the boy. 'Did he just say, attack?' she thought. 'But if he gets electrocuted again, he may fall back over the edge of the duel field!' She looked into the warm brown eyes she had fallen for, hoping for an answer.

"Asuka, why are you stalling? Attack me!" Judai called.

"No! If you take any more of that red electricity, you will fall unconscious! I'm surprised that you are standing now!" she cried.

Judai looked at her, then smiled warmly at her. "You must trust me," was all he said.

Asuka looked at him. She didn't want to hurt him, but she had been told to attack him again. She closed her eyes and stated, "I attack Neos with my monster!"

Judai sighed. "Thank you, Asuka. Now I'll finish this duel." Asuka opened her eyes, and looked at the boy, wondering what he meant. "I activate my trap card, Martyred Hero!" Everyone who watched the duel immediately gasped.

"What is that card?" Areka said.

"A card that will end this duel in a draw. But it will cost Judai a lot of suffering," Edo quietly told them.

"This card can only be activated when a Level Seven or higher monster attacks a Level Seven or higher Elemental Hero. The Elemental Hero then destroys itself, and deals damage to both of us equal to its attack points," Judai explained to them all.

Asuka gasped. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. What if Judai fell back over the edge? She couldn't live with the guilt.

"No…Judai…" she whispered, as tears gathered in her eyes again.

"I'm sorry Asuka, but this is the only way to end this duel. See you all, on the other side." He smiled. Neos then took its hand, and held it straight out, making in look like he was going to karate chop Asuka's monster. Instead, however, the hero pointed its arm directly at itself, and jabbed the dagger-like hand deep into its chest.

The monster then exploded with smoke covering the field. Judai screamed aloud as the red electricity ravaged his weakened body. The smoke enveloped him, as Asuka screamed, "JUUUDAAAIII!" She was knocked down to the ground by the force of the explosion. The smoke blew into her face. The lightening also streamed through her body, but she didn't even feel it. All she cared about was Judai.

"Please, please…say something, say anything. Just let me know you're ok…" she whispered to herself.

The smoke cleared from her side of the field. She looked up and saw that her monster had been destroyed as well. The smog that covered the field slowly subsided. She saw Judai still standing. Asuka's frown turned into a smile. "Judai!" she squealed. However, Judai just stood there. His head was tilted forward slightly, so she couldn't she his eyes. She slowly began walking over to the youth. "Judai, thank you," she said, as she came near the duelist. She became nervous, as he didn't even acknowledge her.

She stopped. "Judai, what's wrong?" a gust of wind suddenly revealed the problem. It blew the hair blocking Judai's eyes out of the way, and revealed that his eyes were glazed over. He was staring into nothingness. His head picked up slightly, placing his empty gaze onto her. She felt the feeling in her legs give out, seeing his normally passionate eyes not have any existence in them.

Judai slowly dropped to his knees, then to his stomach, unconscious.

**AJ**: Ok, there were so many things wrong with this chapter. This one just sickens me.

**Bil**: Quit trying to get pity.

**AJ**: No, seriously, this chapter downright blew. I'm sorry to anyone who liked this fanfic, as this is probably the last chapter you will read up to.

**Bil**: Get of your pity-pot, Moron.

**AJ**: For the three of you that read this chapter, and actually like it, I obviously will continue the story passed this. But most of you will probably say, "Asuka's too weak in this story" or "I hate Asuka/Judai pairings" or even "I just hate your story period". Believe me, I wanna say the last too. So for those of you who will return, see you next chapter, and those who hated this one, I welcome you to join them, despite your definite hatred of this one.


	20. Destructive Surge

**AJ**: So…back from that horrid thing I called a chapter to write another one…hopefully not so horrid.

**Bil**: Oh, come on, it wasn't even your worst idea yet.

**AJ**: You mean that?

**Bil**: Yeah!

**AJ**: So…what WAS my worst idea?

**Bil**: Starting this fanfic in the first place.

**AJ**: …-sighs-…Thanks…thanks a lot.

**Bil**: No problem…XD

Chapter 19: Destructive Surge 

Asuka immediately walked over to Judai. She picked him up off the ground and looked at the boy. "Judai? Judai? Please, answer me!" she shouted as she shook the lad. The boy's head just tilted side to side with the shaking from Asuka. She laid the boy down and placed her head against his chest. She heard a beating, albeit a faint one. She breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he was just unconscious and was ok, for the moment.

She suddenly felt the ground vibrate underneath her. She looked to the side, and saw the duel field was retracting back into the ship. She looked up, and saw the concerned faces of Fubuki, Misawa, Areka, and Momoe and Junko, who had come down from the deck. Fubuki leapt onto the duel field when it came close enough and ran over to Asuka and Judai. He knelt down next to them. "Are you alright, sis?" Fubuki questioned.

"Yes, I'm fine. We need to help Judai!" She tried to lift Judai off the ground, when Fubuki placed his hand onto her shoulder. "What is it Fubuki?"

"I'll take him," the brother stated, as he hung Judai's arm around his own neck. "You've worked hard enough. Besides, you need to get Sho and Kenzan down."

"Sho and Kenzan…?" she breathed. She looked to the side, and her eyes widened. She saw the limp forms of the two Ra students hanging from the ceiling. "Oh, my!"

Areka and the others joined Asuka, Fubuki, and Judai. Edo walked up to Asuka, and held out his hand. "Your remote, if you please," he simply stated.

"Remote?" Asuka asked. Edo pointed to her belt, and she looked down, and saw what he meant. She handed him the device, and Edo pressed a few buttons. The ropes then raised the two boys up into another room. A moment or two later, an opening in the ceiling near the group appeared, and the rope lowered the unconscious boys to the ground. Edo pulled a pocketknife out of his pocket and cut the bindings, releasing the unconscious boys.

Kenzan began stirring as soon as he dropped to the ground. He groaned in pain, and slowly opened his eyes. "Oh, man…that was one hell of a ride," the boy moaned. He blinked his eyes back into focus, and saw Edo looking over him. "Huh? Where am I?" the boy asked.

"Inside a ship," Edo answered. "We could use some help, think you can move?" Kenzan nodded, although he groaned as he lifted himself up off the ground. He shook his head and regained his senses.

He saw Asuka and Fubuki holding an unconscious Judai. "What the hell…? What happened here?" he questioned harshly.

Asuka lowered her head at these remarks. No matter what Judai said, it was her own weakness for allowing herself to be controlled by Saiou and being unable to break on her own. 'No,' she shook her head. 'I've got to stop worrying about me. Judai needs help right now!'

"Judai had a rough duel with Asuka," Edo said. "Long story short, Asuka's back with us, and we need to get Judai back to Duel Academia."

Kenzan just nodded, though he looked at Asuka suspiciously. He lifted Sho off the ground, and Misawa came and helped. The ship shuddered violently again and metal began groaning. They looked at each other. "I've…got the feeling that we should make like a tree and get out of here," Kenzan dumbly stated. Someone would've made a comment about how he shredded the cliché, if they weren't so worried about what was happening.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the ship, knocking everyone down to the ground. The group then heard a rushing noise from the hallway, and soon a stream of water began filling the room. The ship began leaning back towards the wall farthest from the exit. "We have to move…NOW!" Edo called. Everyone nodded, rose from the ground, and began carrying the unconscious Sho and Judai out of the dangerous area of the ship.

The group moved down the long hallway, as the grinding of metal was heard. The rush of water became stronger, making it tough to move through the stream. Kenzan slipped, and began sliding backwards down the hallway, before he was grabbed by Edo, who was holding onto a pole. Misawa held onto another pole, as well as Sho, though the water slicked up the metal. Edo finally pulled Kenzan to his feet, and the group began the long trek up the slippery steps.

"What happens when we get to the deck?" Areka asked over the sound of the water.

"I already said, contacted Samejima before we got here!" Edo shouted back. "He should be here with some transportation!"

'I hope so,' Asuka thought desperately. She tightened her hold onto Judai and looked at her brother. Fubuki gave her a reassuring smile and began moving up the steps again. A new wave of water hit the group, knocking Junko and Momoe off balance and backwards. Fubuki let go of Judai and latched onto the girls' wrists before the slid back down the stair well and out of sight.

"A little help would be nice!" Fubuki grunted. Edo and Areka each grabbed onto one of the girls' wrists, and helped hoist them back up onto the winding staircase. Another surge of water hit the group, though no one was knocked off balance this time. The duelists walked as fast as they possibly could up the steps. They passed the hole that had been blown open and rushed to the top of the steps. They ran down the hallway towards the 15 steps heading up to the deck.

A loud explosion incinerated another wall, this time in front of them. Water immediately began racing in and hit the group. The water hit the group, and knocked them down. Asuka fell down hard, and felt her grip weaken. She gasped and watched as the stream of water sped down the hall, holding Judai near the front of it.

"Judai!" she called. She immediately let go of the latch in the wall she had been holding onto and raced down the hallway. She heard her name being screamed from behind her, but she just kept going after Judai. She sped down the hallway back towards the winding staircase and saw Judai ahead of her. She closed her arms around her body to speed herself up towards the youth, before the youth disappeared between the railing and over the edge of the stairs. She gasped as she neared the railing, before turning to her side to slide through the bars.

Asuka saw Judai ahead of her crash head first into the rising water level in the ship and sink farther beneath the surface. She braced herself for the impact of the water. She winced when felt a stinging on her forearms, which hit the surface of the water first. She opened her eyes, which stung from the salt slightly. She looked around, searching for her friend's body. She aimed her head downward, and saw the lifeless body sinking deeper into the water.

Asuka quickly rose to the surface, took a deep breath, and swam underneath the water. She sped underneath the waves racing to the youth. She suddenly felt a heavy object crack her in the back. She opened her mouth, allowing most of the air she had to escape her lungs. She persevered towards the boy, but her mind became foggy as her body used up the last bit of fresh air. She was able to grab the boy's arm, and pulled him towards her. Her sight became even whiter, however, as she lost her focus.

'No…not here…not after being free…we have to…survive…' Asuka thought as she began to lose consciousness. She then noticed a light began glowing. Her body slowly turned forwards while she held onto Judai, and she looked at the white light. Emerging from the light appeared to be…

"Cyber…Tutu…And…Cyber Blader?" Asuka whispered. Someone or something reached out her hand and grabbed Asuka's near-lifeless arm. Asuka closed her eyes and smiled, as she felt a protective warmth engulf her, before she finally lost the last bit of consciousness.

Fubuki and Edo grabbed Asuka's and Judai's arms and immediately pulled them to the surface. They had responded right after Asuka did, but because they were farther up the hallway, they took longer to get to her and Judai. They stopped for a moment, before sliding through the railing. They saw Asuka submerge under the surface, and were about to dive after her, when they saw a large piece of debris, something from a ventilation shaft, hit the water.

"Asuka!" Fubuki shouted. Edo didn't wait, diving after the two. Fubuki was right behind him. They sunk beneath the surface. Edo turned his head side-to-side, looking for the two, but couldn't find them.

Then he saw a light, and emerging from the light was Cyber Blader and Cyber Tutu. 'What the…?' Edo mused. He looked back at Fubuki, who didn't appear to see the light or the monsters, meaning they were spirits. Edo motioned to Asuka's brother and pointed downwards to where the two duel spirits were. Fubuki looked downward, and his eyes widened, as he saw Asuka reaching out with a hand while holding desperately onto Judai.

Fubuki wasted no time, grabbing Asuka's free arm. Edo stabilized Judai, and grabbed his arm. The two rose to the surface as fast as possible.

They both took a large gasp of air and realized that the water level had risen since they had dove down into the depths. They swam to the stairs and climbed onto the steps. They hoisted the two onto their shoulders and sped up the steps against the streaming water. They reached the top near the door and raced as fast as they could, being careful not to slip. They finally got back to where they were before, and noticed the group had moved on ahead.

The two shot up the hallway and up the steps. "Fubuki! Edo! This way!" Areka called from a mostly empty aircraft. The other helicopter had spotted them, and took off from the sinking liner after seeing the two men arise to the deck with the other students. Edo and Fubuki ran towards the remaining helicopter, and placed the two unconscious, or so they hoped, forms on the helicopter before climbing in themselves.

"Hang on, everyone! This thing isn't made for this many people!" the pilot called. "It should be a short trip, though. Just keep those two steady!"

They did as they were told, holding the two as tight as possible, before setting off.

"DAMN IT!" Manjoume shouted as he slammed his fist onto the table. "We had them within our grasp, and again they slipped away!" He clenched his fist. "That Judai…I want to eradicate that man!"

"Calm yourself, Manjoume-kun," Saiou said. "This may be a setback, but it can be overcome. We will have to wait for the Finals, however. We must call our forces to the Obelisk Blue Boys' Dorm and take the medals they have gained for ourselves. Only the two of us have a chance of winning this tournament and make everyone see the light."

Manjoume winced, knowing that they would have to wait for a long time now. "Yes, Saiou-sama," he managed to respond, though reluctantly. He realized that Judai was unconscious. "But what if Judai wakes up and discovers us?"

"Oh, that won't be for a while. And at that time, we'll cause him even more pain, by making him relive the past, as well as revealing his past to his friends." A sadistic smile spread across Saiou's lips.

Manjoume smirked wickedly also. He typed in a few buttons on the large computer, and sent out the signal to all the Society duelists to return to their main headquarters. 'Mark my words, Judai, we WILL have our decisive duel. And this time, I will claim victory! For Saiou-sama, for the society, but for most of all, to finally prove, that I can defeat you!' Manjoume began chuckling evilly, hardly able to contain his eagerness.

Asuka's eyes snapped open. She coughed extensively. She felt a soft, warm hand touch her cheek, but flinched at first, not knowing whom it was. She only saw brightness. She calmed herself and blinked her eyes back into focus, noting that she was in the infirmary. She saw Momoe, Junko, Areka, Sho, and Kenzan looking down at her. She looked to the side and saw that Fubuki's hand was the one that was touching her cheek.

Asuka slowly sat up, groaning and holding her head. "Owww…my head…" Asuka breathed. "What happened…?"

"Take it easy, sis," Fubuki told her, holding her steady. "You had a rough time of it, trying to save Judai."

Asuka suddenly gasped. "Judai! Where is he!" she shouted worriedly.

"I said, take it easy," Fubuki ordered, pushing her back down to her pillow. "Judai's in intensive care, but it's just to keep an eye on him. He should be fine."

Asuka breathed a sigh of relief, but it didn't stop her for felling a little bit guilty for being the actual duelist. She shoved that idea aside for now, though. "So, what happened after I blacked out?"

"Edo and I just chased after you. We grabbed you and brought you to the surface," Fubuki explained.

"Speaking of our escape, I need to speak with you, Asuka," a slightly haughty voice spoke. Edo stepped into the section sealed off for Asuka. The pro looked at her others sitting around Asuka. "Alone," he said sternly.

One by one they slowly left. Fubuki, however, didn't move. "I'm her brother. I have just as much a right to listen to this as she does.

"If you must," Edo sighed. "It's probably better if you hear this, too." Edo pulled up a chair and sat down. "I have a question for you," he told the girl.

"Fire away," she said, wondering what she could know that he would like to know.

"While we were underwater, I saw a bright light near you. Do you remember seeing anything like that?" Edo asked.

Asuka nodded. "Yeah, but how could you see it? It was just a figment of my subconscious, I thought," muttered.

"By your muttering, it sounds like you know what I'm going to ask next. Can you see Duel Spirits?" Edo asked inquisitively.

Fubuki turned and looked at his sister, then back to Edo. "Duel Spirits? What are those?" he questioned.

"They are just like they sound, the spirits that reside in Duel Monster cards," Edo explained.

"Meaning…?" Fubuki continued.

"You remember when Judai dueled Kagemaru?" Asuka asked her brother. He turned to her and nodded. "Remember the golden stuff that floated over to Kagemaru from the cards? That was the spirit of the cards."

"Oh. But, how come only a few of us can see them?"

"That, I can't answer," Edo cut in. "All I know is, when I saw this light, I saw Cyber Blader and Cyber Tutu enter from the light." He turned to Asuka. "You need to get well soon. I have a feeling that Judai will be out for a while, even after being ok. We should defeat as many duelists as possible, especially Society duelists. Fubuki and myself will need your help."

Asuka stared at Edo. "But…the duel…"

Edo cut her off. "The duel was technically a draw and, therefore, no medals are exchanged. You are still eligible in the tournament. I'm sure Judai would want the same." He smirked at her, before walking out of the room.

Fubuki turned and smiled at her. "C'mon, get some rest. We all want you to be better. Judai wouldn't have wanted to bring you back to normal to just have you sulk and brood over him." He left as well.

Asuka slid underneath her covers. She felt extremely comfortable, for the first time in total control. She smiled at the thought of her having all her friends beside her, wishing for her health. Her thought then fell on Judai, and her smiled got even bigger. "Judai," she muttered, "thank you." She fell asleep shortly after.

**AJ**: Man, I'm making Asuka extremely sappy…this story as well.

**Bil**: I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait for Judai to get better again, get rid of the sudden love-struck story you've created.

**AJ**: I know, I've created a monster…T.T…a monster that will not be read a lot. Oh, well.

**Bil**: Do better next chapter.


	21. Ultimate Destiny

**AJ**: Again, I apologize for anyone who's been expecting more from this fanfic. This is gonna be slow for a few chapters, as the hero is out of action for a while.

**Bil**: Well, get him back online, damn it!

**AJ**: He'll be back…and with a little surprise.

**Bil**: I _can't _wait.

**AJ**: Good to hear.

Chapter 20: Ultimate Destiny 

"Dogma, attack his Jinzo! End this façade!" Edo ordered. Dogma charged up a purple ball of energy, which the monster directed at its opponent. The purple stream of energy fired, and this creature dissolved. The Society student trembled for a moment, before being knocked down to his back by the explosion, unconscious.

The holograms disappeared, as Edo took his cards, replaced them into his deck, and stuffed the deck back into his deck holder inside his jacket. He took out his phone and flipped it open. He pressed a couple of buttons, and waited a few moments. "Misawa? Yeah, I got another one. We're over in the forest by the docks. Ok, see you in a few." Edo walked over and took the one medal hanging on the boy's jacket. "Tch…only one again. I've dueled a good fifty students and all I have to show for it is 35 medals," the pro groaned.

He decided to just lean back against a tree and waited to be picked up. He looked up to the stars and the moon, amazed at how beautiful they looked at night. 'You never get this view in the city around the duel arenas. Too many lights,' he thought, mildly amused. He thought traveled over to the recent events at the school. It had been almost two weeks since the duel between Asuka and Judai. Judai still had shown no signs of awakening, but no one here understood why. Not even that doctor they had, the leader of the Girls' Dorm, Ayukawa.

While Judai had been resting, the rest of them hadn't exactly been lazy. Momoe, Misawa, Junko, Sho, and Kenzan, had all been finding and defeating Society duelists that had no Genex medals on them. Meanwhile, Asuka, Fubuki, and himself had been fighting the Genex and professional Society duelists, releasing them from the fortuneteller's influence. They had been making great progress, as almost all of the Society duelists had been defeated. They found a few scattered here and there, but they were mostly Ra students who seemed to had lost their way back to the Ra dorms.

Edo chuckled to himself. "Looks like the big fool had a bigger impression on me than I thought," he muttered to himself. He had never been this worried about someone since he learned about Saiou when he was told bout the Society of Light.

Speaking of the diviner, neither he nor Manjoume had been seen recently. It was obvious, however, that wherever they were, the two had called back their subordinates to gain most of the medals. Edo wondered whether Saiou was planning to participate personally, and, if that was he case, whether himself or Judai would have enough firepower to defeat the man.

Edo didn't fear his manager's dueling abilities, but the ability to see the future could pose a serious problem. Sure, Judai and himself had been told they were the 'chosen' duelists, but Edo would rather take things into his own hands instead of relying on a prophecy, as he usually did. He wished he knew where that card he had been searching for was.

'I'm definitely going to need that card if I'm going to take on Saiou's deck,' Edo mused. 'And even then, it may be a stretch. Saiou not only can see the future, but the future always seems to go his way…' His train of thoughts was broken by blaring sirens. Edo walked over to the fallen duelist and lifted his arm over and around his neck. "C'mon, you. Time to get back to the real world," Edo said to him, and they walked out of the forest.

Misawa looked around, searching for Edo and his new catch. He had donned his old yellow blazer after turning back to normal. "Where is he?" the scholar said aloud. It was about midnight, and had only been up because it was his turn to help watch over Judai's unconscious state. He would've told Edo to forget it, but Asuka, Kenzan, and Sho were still up there, though it was his turn. They didn't mind him stepping out, so he took the ambulance they had, and drove over to where Edo's position, and now he wasn't there.

"Wonderful," Misawa sulked. He wanted to get some sleep, as the last two weeks had been tiresome. If the unconscious person had been anyone else but the normally cheerful Judai, he would have been jealous. However, seeing Judai's emotionless face while he was lying there unnerved the Ra student, as well as anyone else who saw the Osiris youth.

What even racked the scholar's brain even more was the tattoo they had found on the back of the boy's neck. It was hidden by the wild, brown, hair the boy had, and if it weren't for Ayukawa's inspection of the duelist, they would have never known it was there. The tattoo was a fancily written "RD-DDL-001".

Misawa remembered hearing about the initials "DDL" somewhere before, but he couldn't place his finger on it. For some reason, the letters sent chills up his spine. If the student had the time, he would look into it. "But right now, I'm out in the middle of the night, looking for Mister Professional," Misawa muttered annoyed.

Emerging into the headlights were Edo and an unconscious duelist over his shoulder. "About time," Misawa murmured.

"Quit moaning and give me a hand over here!" Edo shouted at the scholar.

"Yes, _sir_," Misawa said sarcastically. The Ra duelist walked to the back of the ambulance and pulled out a stretcher. He rolled the stretcher over to Edo, before helping him lay the duelist onto it. They rolled the stretcher to the back of the ambulance, and loaded the unknown duelist onto the ambulance, and strapped him down. They then both climbed into the front and began the fifteen-minute drive back to the school.

"Get any medals?" Misawa asked, trying to start a conversation. Edo held up his one new medal. "Ouch."

"Indeed. Safe bet that Saiou and Manjoume have any medals the Society gained over the course of this tournament," Edo yawned.

"I expected as much." The two sat in silence for a while longer, before pulling into the garage. There, they were met by Samejima, Chronos, and Napoleon.

"Welcome back, Misawa, Edo," Samejima greeted. "Thank you for your continued help to get our school back to normal."

"We have done our best," Misawa nodded. Edo just curtly bowed his head. The two teachers under Samejima's command immediately took the student in the back out and up to the infirmary.

Misawa and Edo began following the two, when Samejima said, "Edo, I need to speak with you in my office."

Edo yawned loudly. "Can't it wait till tomorrow?" the pro asked slightly annoyed.

"I'm sorry, but it's rather important," Samejima told him. Edo didn't seem interested, but followed the principal in another direction. Misawa was interested in what they needed to talk about, but first had to go take his shift to watch Judai. The student ran and caught up to the teachers heading to the infirmary, and entered the elevator.

Edo followed behind Samejima as quick as possible. They entered into a private fancy looking elevator and Samejima typed in a few buttons, a code Edo presumed. The elevator rose swiftly, soon reaching the top. The door slid open revealing the principal's office. Standing behind the desk was a man with white hair and a red suit whom Edo recognized immediately.

"Pegasus J. Crawford?" Edo gaped.

"Hello, Edo-boy," the creator of Duel Monsters greeted. "How goes the tournament?"

"Could be better," the pro answered rather sheepishly.

"Oh? Not winning as many medals as you would like?"

"Mostly," the pro stated. He looked at Samejima. "OK, I know that you wouldn't take me up here just to meet my dad's former employer. What exactly is going on here?"

"Edo, do you know _why_ I created this tournament?" Samejima inquired.

"Well, I do know that you wanted Judai and Sho to duel the new Hell Kaiser in order to turn him back to normal," Edo answered.

"That is one of the things we wanted to do, but only one of them," Pegasus cut in. "You see, I had known your father was creating the Destiny Heroes before he died, including the 'Ultimate D' card before he was murdered. I also know that somehow, that card was injected with an evil force called the 'Surge of Light'. We have been searching for that card, using this tournament in an attempt at drawing out that evil power's craving for bending people to do its bidding. We need to seal that card away, before the evil force that has been injected into it can place the world in danger."

Edo stood stunned. "If you knew…why didn't…"

"Why didn't we tell you before? We didn't want you to put yourself in danger, going out into duel after duel in an attempt to discover the card. We decided to tell you once we found the card."

"Wait, does that mean you've found it? Who has it? Is it Saiou?" Edo began hurriedly questioning.

"No, the card isn't on this island. However, we _do _have a lead, and even maybe even the person who does have it, Edo," Samejima told the boy.

"Who? Who is it?" Edo shouted, becoming extremely angry.

"Edo, do you know who was headlining the latest PDL Pay-Per-View event?" Pegasus asked.

"Yeah. DD, my foster father, and some no name called the Doctor Collector. Do you mean to say that Doctor Collector guy has it?"

"No. I'm sorry to say this Edo-boy. But the man who may have it…is DD," Pegasus announced sadly.

Edo stood there in silence. "No…no way…I don't believe you guys," Edo stammered. It was the first time he ever remembered being shocked since his father's sudden death.

"I'm sorry, Edo," Samejima told him, "but we have undeniable proof right here." Samejima grabbed a remote and clicked on the television. A news station appeared on the screen with a fancy looking anchorwoman.

"Tragedy struck today, in Hong Kong, at the Professional Duelist League's newest Pay-Per-View, during the main event between DD and Dr. Collector. As you can see by this screen, during the duel, as DD activates a card, the room fills with smoke, and explosions occur. Both DD and Dr. Collector have disappeared without a trace," The news reporter said.

Samejima paused the video. "So how does that tell you anything?" Edo demanded. "You can't see anything."

"Actually, it does," Samejima told him. He rewound the video a few seconds, and paused it again. He then zoomed in onto DD. "Pegasus noticed this right away. Can you see it, the white light surrounding him? I'm sure you know what that is, right?"

Edo knew. It was the same white light that surrounded Misawa back when the student had activated the Light of Ruin magic card. But what did that mean?

"Edo, I know it's hard to believe, but we need to confront him. Even if only to find out how he was infected. Remember, we have no proof other than this, so it may only be a lead," Pegasus tried to explain.

"No, I'm sure he does have it. It would explain how he has been the champion for so long," Edo quietly stated. "I have to see him." The boy turned and began walking towards the door.

"But we have no idea where he is!" Samejima called to him.

"I have a good idea. Call it a hunch, but my hunches are hardly ever wrong." And with that he walked out.

"So, do you think he has a chance?" Samejima asked.

"Indeed so," Pegasus answered. "But right now, we have bigger problems. Word is a new satellite was launched into space from an unknown source a few days ago. Does this Saiou have any extremely rich connections?"

"He does have the Manjoume Group's money, seeing as he controls the youngest of them..." Samejima answered. "But I don't know if they have enough money by themselves to pay for a satellite."

"Something seems odd about this whole deal," Pegasus said. "Do you think this Saiou may have another person behind him?"

"I haven't the slightest idea," Samejima answered.

"And what about Judai-boy, how is he doing?" Pegasus answered.

"There hasn't been any changes in his status," Samejima said sadly.

"I see. We need him to defeat this 'Surge of Light'. Edo-boy is a great duelist, but he cannot do this alone, even if he gets the Ultimate D card."

Misawa sat in his chair and yawned. He had sent Asuka and Kenzan back to their dorms, as they could barely keep their eyes open. Sho had fallen asleep, so Asuka helped carry the young duelist back to the Osiris Dorms, where they had decided to stay until they had freed everyone from the Society's influence.

Soon Ayukawa came in from the door behind him. "Misawa-kun, you don't need to stay up here. It's my job to watch over him, not yours," she told him.

"I'm alright, don't worry about me!" he immediately dismissed the teacher's worries.

"You need your rest, Misawa-kun. I'll watch him the rest of the night, go ahead and lay down over on one of those beds over there. You'll need to keep your strength up."

Misawa yawned loudly and deeply. "Well, since you put it that way…Wake me up if you need any help with anything," he told her. The student slumped over to a bed, and collapsed into it, falling asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Asuka laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She heard the soft breathing of her brother and her two best friends, as well as her newest friend, Areka. They were all tired, too tired to stay awake. Asuka, however, was too worried to sleep. Judai hadn't given any clue or any hint that he was ok, or that he was going to wake up from his coma ever again.

'No, he's just got to wake up. He's a fighter; he wouldn't go through all the trouble to free me just so I would suffer. He will win…he has to win…' she thought. She turned over to her side and stared at the wall, memories running through her mind. Her thoughts traveled to the last time she had been extremely worried about him after a duel, after the boy's first duel with Edo.

She couldn't bear to lose the boy, not again. The last time had hurt her deeply. The boy didn't understand what was wrong with him. He showed a side of himself he had never shown before. He showed fatigue, loneliness, and sadness. The night he had run way, Asuka found herself extremely depressed, just as she was when she learned of her brother's disappearance. She walked over to Judai's favorite cliff where he'd relax. She had sat down, and sobbed silently to herself of his disappearance, hoping that it wasn't the last time they would see each other.

Now, she was back to normal, but he was still lying in his unconscious state. She turned to her back, and remembered how Judai helped free Fubuki from Kagemaru's influence. She smiled, remembering how Judai gave everything he had in order to unknowingly defeat her brother, which, in turn, released him from his 'Darkness' form.

The soft breathing of the sleeping students once again reached her ears. She felt herself being lulled into a deep sleep. She yawned once, and slipped into the alternate realm known as 'Dreamland'.

The next day, Asuka, Sho, and Kenzan ran through the hallways. They had been called by Ayukawa to meet her at the infirmary entrance. They dashed passed several students, accidentally running into one. Sho called an apology over his shoulder as they sped up their pace.

"I hope there's good news about Aniki," Sho muttered.

"Don't worry. Aniki'll pull through. He has never failed before, right?" Kenzan told them.

Asuka wasn't so sure about the news. Ayukawa sounded rather shaken as she called them over the PA System. They closed in on the infirmary, where Misawa, Fubuki, Areka, Momoe, and Junko were all waiting for them.

"Where's Edo?" Sho asked.

"Principal Samejima said he had urgent matters to take care of. What a businessman," Misawa stated, rather harshly.

The door opened, and Ayukawa stepped into the hallway. She looked fatigued and extremely disturbed. She raised her head to the students, and her already distraught face became even more worried.

"Hello, everyone," she greeted.

"Ayukawa-sensei how is Aniki?" Sho and Kenzan asked simultaneously.

"Well…he is alright. He has finally awakened from his coma…"

"REALLY?!" the two boys shouted. They burst passed the teacher into the room.

"WAIT! HE IS NOT NORMAL!" Ayukawa shouted. Suddenly, the two boys let out a high-pitched shriek, causing everyone to rush in after the two.

**AJ**: So, what is wrong with Judai?

**Bil**: Did you turn him into a monster?

**AJ**: NO!

**Bil**: …No need to snap…

**AJ**: -sighs- Whatever. Come and see the next chapter, Chapter 21: Faded.


	22. Rebirth

**AJ**: -yawns-…Great, I'm yawning and I have to go to work…this'll be a long night.

**Bil**: Quit your whining. It looks like your crappy story is finally losing its fans. You gonna stop now?

**AJ**: No, I'll continue this story to the end. But the Season 2.5 I had planned may be thrown into the fireplace. I've been in need of a way to warm up this house.

**Bil**: Good, I'm tired of you ignoring my insults, Loser.

**AJ**: Hmmm? You say something?

**Bil**: IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN!

**(URGENT:** **Two things. (1.) The state of mind Judai is existing in is NOT real. (2.) I've changed the name of the chapter from the last chapter's plan…sorry.)**

Chapter 21: Rebirth 

Asuka, Momoe, Junko, Areka, Fubuki, and Misawa ran into the infirmary and stopped at Judai's section. He was sitting upright and was leaning back against the wall, with pillows cushioning his back. He was leaning slightly forward. Sho and Kenzan, who were over by Judai's head, were shaking violently. Asuka looked at the two boys. "What's the matter? Isn't Judai up?"

Sho looked at Asuka and shook his head vehemently. "S-s-see for yourself…" Kenzan and Sho backed away from their friend, and Asuka and the others walked over to him. They reached the front of the bed.

"Hey, Judai, what's up?" Asuka asked. Judai made no move to respond.

"Do you want something to eat? You were out for a while," Fubuki tried. Still nothing.

"C'mon Judai, there's no reason to be so down," Areka told him. Judai still didn't move.

"Judai? Hello, Earth to Judai!!" Asuka shouted. Judai still made no motion. Asuka finally became worried. She grabbed the boy and leaned him back against the wall, and everyone saw that Judai was not himself.

His eyes were glazed over, and his face had an expressionless look upon it. He didn't look at any of them, but just looked forward. He seemed as if he were lost in his mind.

"Wh-what is…this?" Kenzan demanded. Asuka had seen this face before. It was the same expression he had before he became unconscious after their duel.

"It is called Systematic Shutdown Syndrome, or S3," Ayukawa said walking up behind them. "It occurs when an individual has gone through an extreme amount of physical and emotional trauma. However, this is an extremely rare case, as usually the trauma or stress is so sudden and/or violent the victim is killed. It needs a person who has an impressive amount of willpower to overcome such odds, or an extreme amount of luck to get just the right amount of trauma without dying."

"What does S3 do?" Misawa inquired.

"Well, as I said, it is very rare, but from what I have gathered, it is a condition the body goes under after the trauma heals for the person to be awake and aware. But the person is unresponsive. The only things that are normal are the person's vitals. His pulse is normal as is his breathing, but as for responding to people, he is unable to do so."

"Why do people who are close to always have to leave me!" Sho shouted unexpectedly. "First Onii-san changed, and now Aniki is…"

"Stop that!" Ayukawa shot. Everyone turned to look at her. She appeared to be on the verge of tears. "You still have all your friends that are here with you, but right now, Judai's fighting this battle, and he's doing it all by himself. He has no one within his mind that can help him! He is alone, lost in the cold, black world of his mind."

Everyone was silent. They all just stared at the emotionless expression Judai displayed. Asuka finally spoke up, though her voice was shaky. "So, How long is Judai going to stay in this state of mind?" the girl asked.

"I don't know," Ayukawa answered. "The shortest amount of time was a few days. The longest someone was in this state was the rest of his or her life. During that time, we'll need to take care of Judai."

"But Aniki just has to wake up, the tournament ends at the end of the week…" Kenzan said.

"This is bigger than the stupid tournament!" Junko shouted at him.

"Yes, because he may never wake up…" Momoe said sadly.

They all discussed with each other when they would take care of him. There were no classes during the tournament, so there weren't too many problems. They finally set a schedule up.

"This is so horrible," Asuka said as she, Misawa, and Fubuki all sat in her private room at the Osiris Dorm. "If I hadn't been weak enough to let myself be controlled like I did, this wouldn't have happened."

"It's not only your fault, Asuka," Misawa said. "Everyone who has abused Judai while in the Association had a profound effect on him. But he'll come around, sooner than later, I'm sure.

"Misawa's right," Fubuki told her. "Judai's not one to let himself be defeated that easily. Judai will be on his feet before the end of the week. Don't worry yourself over him, I'm sure that's not what Judai wants. He'd want us to continue on with our lives. Besides, it's not like he's dead."

Asuka wasn't so sure, but her friends did make her feel better. She smiled at the, to reassure them that their message got through. "Right now, we need to get those last few duelists back out of the Society, and I think I have a way to do so," Misawa said. He took out a laptop, and began typing on the computer. He opened the Internet, and began looking up the remaining duelists on the island. "There we are, ten duelists left in the tournament; you two, Edo, Judai, Ryo, a Ra, an Obelisk, Manjoume, Saiou, and…unknown?"

"Unknown? " Fubuki asked. "How can there be an 'unknown' duelist?"

"That's what it says. There's no name, no info, no picture, nothing!" Misawa said. "All it says is that he has one medal, the only duelist currently in the tournament with less than Judai."

"…I don't like the look of this. I've got a bad feeling about that duelist," Fubuki told them. "It's just eerie that they wouldn't have any info on this guy."

"We may want to target him first," Asuka offered, leaning over the back of the couch, looking at the screen.

"Maybe, but we don't know where he is," Misawa told them. "They have information when and where the duelist's last duel was, but this person hasn't had a duel yet."

"Interesting," Fubuki said. "Guess we'll eventually meet this guy, sooner or later. The Finals start next Monday, the tournament ends this Friday."

Asuka, however, didn't know how 'interesting' this 'unknown duelist' was. She certainly didn't get a good feeling from him.

Later that night, Asuka met up with Areka and Fubuki at the front of the school. It was the three's turn to patrol the premises for any remaining Society students. "So where to tonight?" Areka asked.

"I think it's best if we split up tonight," Fubuki stated. "I'm going to go to the forest, maybe I'll find something there."

"Yeah, I think I'll go around the Obelisk Dorms," Asuka told them.

"I guess that leaves me with the Ra and Osiris Dorms and the docks," Areka thought aloud. "So, are we meeting here at the same time?"

"Of course," Fubuki mentioned. "Contact the rest of us if we find Manjoume, Saiou, or this mysterious unknown duelist we discovered." Asuka and Areka nodded and the three went on their separate ways.

Asuka walked down the path in the direction of the Girl's dorm. She yawned loudly and stretched from lack of sleep. She had just gotten off of her shift of watching over Judai. The image of the boy's emotionless expression returned in her mind. The face chilled her spine, and she shivered.

She shook the image out of her mind. 'If he's ever going return to normal, we're going to have to support him,' she thought. 'In order for me to do that, I have to stay strong.' She searched all throughout the Girls' Dorms, with some help from Momoe and Junko, who continued on with Asuka for the rest of her patrol.

"Nothing over here!" Momoe called through her PDA.

"All clear this way!" Junko told them.

"Looks like none of them are at the Girls' Dorm," Asuka responded through her PDA. "I'll meet you guys in ten minutes at the front of the dorm so we can move on to the Boys' Dorm."

Asuka closed her PDA and sighed. She wanted to finish this whole business before Judai came to, that way he wouldn't have to go through duels where everyone played with his emotions. She began her trek back to the front of the dorm and soon reached the front of the dorm.

A few moments later Momoe and Junko joined her. "This may sound crude, but I think this is becoming pointless. Searching for 5 people on this gigantic island? We're going to need plenty of luck to find them," Junko said.

Asuka tensed a bit. "It's something we have to do. Maybe we will get lucky and find them," she snapped, a little more angry than she wanted to.

Her friends paused for a bit, letting her vent her anger, before she calmed herself. "Sorry," Asuka stated, "this whole 'Society of Light' business has just been taking a toll on me."

"Not just you," Momoe told her.

"It's affected everyone at the school," Junko added. "Let's just finished our rounds. You need to take a rest, Asuka."

Asuka nodded. "Then let's get going." They began their journey to the Obelisk Blue Male Dorm.

Fubuki walked through the forest, careful to listen to any sounds that might hint to another person's presence. He thought for certain that he heard someone's footsteps ahead of him, but no matter how fast he went in an attempt to catch up to them, they never became louder. The man had an increasing feeling that he was walking right into a trap, but persevered.

The steps started to sound louder, like he was finally catching up to them. More than once, if he strained his eyes he could see the outline of a person in front of him. The silhouette, if Fubuki wasn't mistaken, looked somewhat like Judai.

"What's he doing up? And why is he in the forest," Fubuki thought aloud. He began to run faster, hoping his speed would allow him to catch up to the figure. The person began to run also, however. Fubuki ran as fast as he could, but the visage was always a step ahead of him.

They soon reached a large clearing. In the middle was a building, with a large satellite dish on the top of it. Surrounding the building was a large wired fence. "Whoever's in there, doesn't want anyone bothering them," Fubuki whispered. The student then grinned, and thought, 'Looks like I know where I'm headed.'

He walked into the courtyard, and saw the silhouette of the Judai look-alike again. He walked up to the back of the figure. "Judai…is that you?" Fubuki questioned.

The figure didn't answer, and kept his back turned to the Obelisk duelist. "Judai, have you turned against us?" Fubuki asked, starting to get annoyed. The figure still didn't answer.

A spotlight finally shone onto their position, revealing the back of the figure. The person _did_ look like Judai. However, the brown-colored hair was now black. The jacket that he wore was white colored, but the collar and the sleeves were colored black. On the back of the coat an emblem was sewn. The crest had the letters 'AV' colored black, with the letters outlined in gold.

At least, it _appeared_ the letters were outlined in gold. Upon further inspection the 'AV' letters were covering the golden fancy 'H' that signified the Elemental Hero cards. 'Jaycen Davis' was written in kanji, with the last name lined up the left side, and the first name written down the right side. The person wore black jeans, and dark brown combat boots. It appeared that smoke was rising up from the side of his mouth, revealing that the man was smoking.

"Who are you? " Fubuki called. "Show yourself!"

"Who am I?" The man asked, in a hoarse voice. The man began chuckling, which turned into an all-out laughter. "No one of consequence, not to you anyways. I'm waiting for another. But it appears that I'll have to bait him out here, just like that Saiou-person said."

The figure turned around, and Fubuki gasped slightly. Take out the cigarillo in the man's mouth and the cold, hard gaze that the man emitted, he looked exactly like Judai. The white jacket he wore was opened, as Judai's would be, revealing a dark blue shirt. Fubuki felt himself begin to quiver violently. The man dripped with a evilness that reminded Fubuki of himself when he was Darkness.

"So, I'm assuming that you'd wish to see Saiou?" the man inquired. "Sorry, but the only one who can see Saiou is the one who can defeat me. Nothing personal, but that's what I'm being paid for, so…"

'This guy…he doesn't refer to Saiou as 'sama',' the student mused. 'Is he really in the Society of Light, or just a hit man?' The Judai look-alike stepped forward towards the student, his smirk now turned into a scowl. Fubuki felt sweat begin pouring down his forehead.

"So? We dueling or not?" the man said, as he activated his black colored duel disk.

Fubuki activated his duel disk, though much more reluctantly than he wanted to. He immediately activated the distress signal that Misawa had hooked up to their PDAs.

"Finally, I get some action," the older duelist said.

"Duel!" they both shouted.

Asuka opened her PDA immediately after hearing it beep. She opened it up and saw a map of the island appear, revealing a beacon on it in the middle of the forest.

"Fubuki's in trouble!" Asuka told Junko and Momoe. They began running towards the signal, passing up the front of the school, where they were joined by Misawa, Sho, and Kenzan.

Asuka looked at the boys, as it was there turn to watch over Judai. "I contacted Samejima, he's sending over Napoleon and Chronos to take care of him till we get back. Besides, if worse comes to worse, Ayukawa is still there watching the other students. He'll be fine," Misawa informed her.

Asuka's face softened and they focused on the main problem, Fubuki. They dashed through the forest. Soon coming upon a clearing, revealing the same building Fubuki had found earlier.

There was no sign of anyone, but a spotlight shone upon a certain spot. In the middle of the spotlight stood Areka, bent over the ground and looking down. "Areka, you heard to?" Momoe asked.

"Yep, I got the signal. I rushed over here as soon as possible. I got rid of the Ra student by the way. He didn't have any medals on him either." She picked up a PDA and a card. She walked over to Asuka. "Recognize this?" She handed the card to her.

Asuka looked at the card, and her eyes widened. "This is…Brown Warrior!" Asuka exclaimed. "He always uses this card."

"Then it's fairly apparent, there was a duel here,' Junko said.

"And it involved Fubuki," Momoe told them.

"But the question is, where is Fubuki?" Sho said.

To answer his question, a wall behind them began separating. A smoke began pouring from the opening, and a light shone brightly from behind them. The group felt compelled to enter the building, and their legs began walking of their own accord inside the building. The wall shut behind them, and the light flickered for a moment before turning off.

Asuka blinked and regained her senses. "What the…" she breathed. She looked at the others. Their faces also showed them to be puzzled.

"Well, nowhere to go but forward now," Kenzan remarked. They walked forward, down a long, dark hallway. They passed through a large arena. They walked to the end of the arena, and opened the door. This revealed a large open room, which the group entered.

They looked around, and Misawa pointed at a corner. "Look!" he shouted. They all turned and saw Fubuki, laying back against a wall, unconscious.

"Fubuki!" Asuka cried. The group ran up to the student and Asuka held her brother up. "Fubuki, are you ok? Say something!"

Fubuki stirred slightly. He appeared as if he were drugged with a substance. He opened his eyes slightly. "Get away…hurry…trap…" His eyes closed again as he slipped into the darkness.

"Fubuki? Fubuki!" Asuka called.

"He's just out cold. He'll alright, but you all have to join him. You're all bait for my real target, who'll be here soon enough," a hoarse voice told them.

The door they entered closed. Kenzan and Misawa ran up to it, trying to bust it down. They had no luck, however. Soon, a low hissing noise was heard throughout the room. Momoe and Junko suddenly slumped to the ground back to back.

"Momoe! Junko!" Asuka called.

"It's the hissing sound! It's a sleeping gas!" Misawa called. One by one each of the group fell to the ground.

Asuka fought as hard as she could to stay awake, but to no avail. She felt herself drifting. "No…it wasn't supposed to happen like this…" she whispered. She dropped to the ground, holding onto her brother.

Chronos opened the door to the infirmary, and he and Napoleon entered. The room was completely black with darkness, as the lights were turned off. "Ayukawa is out," Chronos noted, as he yawned and stretched. Samejima had awoken both from their sleep to watch over Judai.

"Why do _we _have to be the ones who have to watch over Judai?" Napoleon groaned. "We should just leave."

"Go ahead. I'm sure it'll be fun looking for a new job," Chronos sneered.

Napoleon sighed. "Be that way," the short Vice Principal said.

The two men walked over towards Judai's section, when they passed a shelf that was more shaded than the others. A hand reached out and sharply grabbed Chronos. Chronos leapt into the air and squealed loudly. "AIEEEEE!!!!"

The hand turned the man around, and Napoleon looked back to see what all the commotion was about. He also screamed in horror.

"Where are they!" the owner of the hand shouted at the two angrily.

**AJ**: Ohhh, a cliffhanger. I'm sure you all know who the owner of the hand is, but meh. I'll leave it for you to guess.

**Bil**: So predictable.

**AJ**: Really? I think this is a good chapter, for once. Though it probably won't be as loved as Chapter 19. Man, a lot of people read that chapter…

**Bil**: Meh, we'll see.

**AJ**: Stop by for Chapter 22: The Darkness in His Eyes.


	23. Reunion

**AJ**: Welcome to Chapter 22, which in Spanish is…uh…

**Bil**: You don't know how to say it in Spanish?

**AJ**: I take Latin, and I don't even know how talk in that language.

**Bil**: You're pitiful.

**AJ**: Well, what about you? How do you say Chapter 22 in Spanish, huh, Smart-Ass?

**Bil**: Umm…He look, there's a chapter waiting to be written!

**AJ**: Thought so…

Chapter 22: Reunion 

Chronos and Napoleon quivered in fear at the shadowed figure. The enraged voice spoke again, "I'll ask again, where are they?"

"Wh-where is who?" Chronos asked.

"Y-yeah…and wh-who are you?" Napoleon added.

"I'm tired of waiting for an answer. TALK!" The figure stepped forward, and revealed himself to be Judai.

"J-Judai!?" Chronos shouted. "What is the meaning of this insolence!?"

Judai grabbed the teacher's coat. "I'm not in the mood, teach." He spoke normally, but his voice was shaking with anger. "Tell me where my friends are, now."

Chronos looked into Judai's harsh glare, and felt the last barrier of his courage melt away. "I-I-I d-d-don't know!"

"You sure?" Judai inquired in his annoyed voice.

Napoleon nodded fiercely. "We don't know anything! We were just told they had to go out! And what are you doing out of bed, aren't you injured?"

"To hell with my injuries!" Judai shouted, making the short teacher cower in fear again. "My friends are in danger, and I need to find out where they went!"

"Well, you won't get anything out of those two clowns," a haughty cold voice spoke behind Judai.

"What do you want, Ryo?" Judai questioned harshly as he turned around.

"Is that anyway to talk to an old friend, Judai?" Ryo chuckled.

"I'm not in the mood for games," Judai shot harshly.

"Tch, I suppose not. Well, normally, I wouldn't help you, but Saiou broke his pact of allowing me to be your opponent," Ryo explained.

Judai's brow furrowed. "You offered to help him?" he inquired through his teeth.

"Just to get a shot at you. However, he forced me to stay behind, and sent Asuka to be your opponent. Looks like she did a number on you, too," the pro mocked.

"Are you going to help me, or not?" Judai demanded.

"Yeah, yeah. Here, I overheard them talking about a beacon they were following. I found this one near Sho," Ryo explained.

"Found or stole?" Judai asked.

"Well, let's just say that it _might_ have been Sho's," Ryo grinned. Judai tore the PDA from Ryo's grasp, and looked at it. Sure enough, a map of the island was being shown, with a signal being sent out from a specific spot in the forest.

"They left a good while ago. I'd say they must've been captured," Ryo smirked.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Judai fired back. "Middle of the forest, what's out there?" Judai thought aloud.

"Only one way to find out, you know as well as I do. But seeing as how it is a trap, what will you do?" Hell Kaiser questioned.

"The answer to that is obvious," Judai said looking to the side at Ryo. "I'm going to spring the trap."

Asuka stirred in her heavy slumber and slowly opened her eyes. She felt as though she had fallen asleep, but had done so way too long. She shook her sore head. It was sore enough that it hurt, but not so bad she couldn't put it out of her mind, as it was cause more from drowsiness than anything else.

She blinked her world into focus and saw that she was in an extremely large room. The room was lit by a few torches, though it was obvious that there were lights above that could be turned on at any point. She tried to move, and discovered that she couldn't do so. She looked to the side and saw that her arms were shackled to the wall. She looked down, and saw her torso and legs were shackled, as well. A search across the room revealed her friends were in a similar predicament.

"Where am I?" she asked to no one in particular.

"In front of the site of what will soon become the greatest duel in the history of mankind," a familiar voice told her. Into the light walked Saiou and Manjoume, both wearing cocky smirks on their faces.

"Welcome, Tenjoin-kun," Manjoume said. "Are you ready to watch Judai finally fall?"

"He won't be defeated by you," Asuka spat.

"Oh, I won't be dueling him," Manjoume scoffed slightly. "However, an old friend of Judai's will be. Or rather, an old relative will."

"What…?" Asuka gaped. Her friends slowly began waking up.

"Ah, good, you are all awake," Saiou stated. "Now is the time to reveal to you Judai's next opponent." The two men turned around as a light turned on above a figure sitting on a table, shuffling a deck.

Smoke emitted from the man's mouth from a cigarillo, which he puffed on before releasing the air and smoke into the atmosphere. "Ahh…nothing like a good smoke before an excellent duel," the Judai look-alike said.

The man took the deck of cards and placed them in a duel holster located on the front of his belt. He took one last puff of the smoke in his mouth, and dropped it to the ground, before stepping on it. The man turned around, revealing his cold harsh glare to the group of duelists.

The duelists felt a cold chill shiver up their spines. Even Manjoume looked unsettled by the man's gaze. Saiou, however, looked extremely pleased. "What, you people never seen a Death Duel League game face before?"

"Death Duel League?" Misawa asked.

"Indeed, it is a Underground Dueling League. One of the first ones, actually. But enough talking. I have a duel and a reunion to prepare for," the older man chuckled.

Saiou smirked. "Excellent," he murmured.

Manjoume leaned closer to Saiou. "Master, are you sure we can trust him? That glare…it makes me uneasy."

"You are too mistrusting, Sanda," Saiou told him. "Is it because there are too few of our number? But you shouldn't worry, Judai _will_ fall in this duel. He _will_ be baptized into the Light."

Manjoume nodded, but was still unsure. 'This whole thing makes me feel queasy. There's something about him that frightens me, and it's not just the fact he looks like Judai with a scowl," the youth thought.

Judai tucked in a black undershirt into his pants and grabbed a blue jean jacket on a chair near him. He buttoned the coat closed before looking at his hands. The bandages were showing on them.

"Ryo, I need your dueling gloves," he told the pro.

"That's no way to ask for items, Fool," Ryo sneered. He took out the gloves and threw them at the child. Judai caught them with his right hand.

"Umm…what's with the new get-up?" Chronos asked, as Judai put on the gloves.

"Well, I need a new jacket till I go and get my old one from where I left it."

"But…why do you need a jacket and dueling gauntlets, anyways?"

"Don't you morons get it?" Ryo shook his head, not believing the teacher's idiocy.

"Get what?" Napoleon asked.

"I'm wearing these to hide the bandages on my body. I'll us any advantage at my disposal, either in strength or in the mind," the duelist told them, rather embarrassed they were teaching him.

The tugged on the dueling gloves, and, satisfied that they covered the bandages that hid his burns, grabbed his deck and a duel disk.

"Have fun down there," Ryo said.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Judai cockily shot back. He walked out of the room and down the stairs. He stretched a little bit, as his body was stiff from not moving for over two weeks. Judai took his deck out of his deck holster, and stuffed it into its appropriate slot in its duel disk.

"Alright, Manjoume. It's time we finish this," the Osiris duelist said as he walked into the deep dark forest.

The hit man duelist began laughing at Judai's words. "You idiot, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into!" he chuckled, watching the screen that was being projected onto the far wall. "The old you would never jump into action without knowing what you would be getting yourself into."

"What do you mean, 'the old him'" Asuka called to the man. "Just who are you, and how are you related to Judai?" she demanded.

"I'll reveal all once Judai comes. But first, I'm going to test the boy, to see how he good he still is, and if he still duels how he used to duel, back when it mattered," the man cackled. "Get ready to see a side of Judai you've never seen before." The man then burst into laughter, as his eyes gleamed an intense bloodlust, before turning back to the screen.

"'Back when it mattered?'" Fubuki inquired weakly. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about this," Kenzan said. Asuka had a pit growing in her gut also, but didn't wish to say anything. She ignored Kenzan's words, and looked back at the screen, to see Judai approaching the complex they were held in.

Judai walked towards the building located in the middle of the forest. "What is this place?" he asked himself softly. He looked around, but didn't see an entrance or door anywhere on the premises. "So, where to now?" he inquired to no one in particular.

"Welcome, Yuki Judai," Saiou's voice echoed over the PA system outside the complex. "It is time to awaken the darkness within you, and for you to embrace your destiny!"

"Darkness? Singing a new tune are we?" Judai asked, incredulously.

"You will see what I mean, once you get inside. But first, a test, to see if you are worthy," Saiou sneered. A wall began rising off the ground, behind the wall revealed an Obelisk White student, with his duel disk turned on, prepared for a duel.

"Looks like it is you and me, Osiris slime," the Obelisk stated.

"I'm not in the mood for playing with little kids. Step aside. I've come to end this with Saiou and Manjoume, not some dog they've sent to 'test' me," Judai scowled.

"I'm not moving, so it looks like you're stuck here until you defeat me," The Obelisk sneered. "Unless, of course, you're actually as weak as I've heard."

This incited Judai. "Alright. It appears Saiou's mind control has warped your mind so much so that you forget who I am." Judai glowered coldly at the student, as he turned on his duel disk.

"We'll see," The Obelisk said.

"Duel!" they both shouted as they drew 5 cards.

"I'll go first!" He drew a card. "I'll activate Reinforcement of the Army! This card allows me to take one level four or lower Warrior-type monster from my deck and add it to my hand. I'll add Command Knight to my hand. Next, I'll summon Marauding Captain to my field! Now it's effect activates, when it is normal summoned, I can special summon one level four or lower monster from my hand to the field. I special summon my Command Knight! Its effect activates, raising all Warrior-type monsters on my side of the field by 400 points! Finally, I'll activate the Permanent Spell, The A. Forces! A. Forces raises all warrior-type monsters attack points on my side of the field by 200 points for each Warrior and Spellcaster on my field! So, because there are two, I my monsters each get 400 attack points extra. I end my turn."

"Finally," Judai scowled. "Draw!" He drew a card from his deck and looked at it, before declaring, "I activate Polymerization to fuse Avian and Burstinatrix into Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" The Flame-based hero descended from a vortex that Avian and Burstinatrix had entered. "Now, I normal summon Sparkman to the field, and equip him with Spark Blaster! This card allows me to switch the battle position of one monster on the field. Plus, I can use this effect 3 times. So I'll switch the Battle Position of Marauding Captain!" The opponent's monster dropped to one knee in a defense position.

"Now, Sparkman, attack Marauding Captain!" Sparkman pointed his straightened arm at the Warrior, before electrifying the monster, destroying it. Command Knight's attack lowered by 200 points due to the effect of The A. Forces.

"Let's not forget Flame Wingman, attack his Command Knight!" The monster flew forwards, and directly at the opponent's monster. It landed in front of the monster and pointed its dragon arm at the enemy, incinerating it as well as 300 of the Obelisk's LP. "Now Wingman's ability activates, you take damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack points!" The hero redirected his arm at the opposing duelist and fired a blast of flames at the boy, depleting 1800 of his LP.

"I'll end, " Judai called.

"Draw! I special summon The Fiend Megacyber!" the Obelisk said triumphantly. "And his attack points go up by 200 to 2400 due to A. Forces! Next, I'll summon DD Survivor, raising his attack up by 400 to 2200, and Megacyber's attack to 2600!" The Obelisk licked his lips, "Go Megacyber, destroy that pathetic Sparkman!" The monster charged up a dark ball of energy, sending it at Sparkman. The Sparkman disappeared in an explosion. The excess of the explosion knocked Judai off 1000 LP. Judai staggered a bit. "Now, DD Survivor, destroy Flame Wingman!" The warrior threw off its cloak and drew a sword from its belt. The monster cleaved the hero in two, docking 100 points off of Judai, who staggered once again, and lowered his head.

The Obelisk laughed heartily. "So the mighty Judai only has a couple of good moves in him, but one good attack knocks him backwards. Typical," the Obelisk taunted.

Judai slowly lifted up his head, revealing an evil glare that tore into the Obelisk. The laughter ceased immediately. The Obelisk gulped, "I'll end."

"Yeah, you will. This duel is over here. Draw!" He looked at his card and smiled. "I activate Miracle Fusion! By removing Fusion-Material Elemental Heroes from my graveyard or field from play, I can Fusion Summon one Elemental Hero! I'll remove my Sparkman and Flame wingman, to summon Shining Flare Wingman! And don't think your Megacyber's off the hook, because this Wingman gains 300 attack points for each E-Hero in the graveyard, and I count two, for 600 points to 3100!" The glow off Shining Flare Wingman's armor shone even brighter than before.

"Wingman, end this! Destroy Megacyber!" The new hero flew over to Megacyber, and destroyed it with a blinding flash. "Now, just like my last Wingman, you take damage equal to the monster's attack points!" The wings on Flare Wingman shone brightly again, burning the student for the rest of his Life Points.

The student screamed as he fell to the ground, his body smoking from the last attack. Judai slowly walked up to the fallen duelist, and grabbed his two medals. He looked up at the screen, and glared coldly at it, sending a message to Saiou and Manjoume he was coming.

Asuka and the others stared in shock and horror at Judai's complexion. The only one who was not surprised, was the Judai look-alike. "Tch…He allowed that wimp to harm him? He's gone soft over the years," the man stated. "This will be one of the easiest duels I have ever been a part of, how pathetic. I was all hyped up for this one, too." He began to walk away.

"Just where are you going?" Manjoume demanded.

"Calm down, Junior, I'm just going to take a pit stop before I romp on that fool." The man disappeared into the darkness. Manjoume shook his head, as he hit a button to lower a wall in front of Judai's friends.

"Wait, what're you doing?" Areka inquired.

"Just preparing for your 'hero's' arrival," Manjoume sneered. "You'll be able to see him, but he won't see you, at least, until the fun starts."

Judai walked down the long hallway. He felt a pit growing in his stomach, telling him he wasn't supposed to be here. But he kept on walking. He soon hit a dead end. "Great, now what?"

"Welcome, Judai. Impressive duel just now. But, you have another man you'll have to face. Come in, and embrace the light, or be embraced by darkness!" Saiou's voice echoed through a speaker. The wall in front of Judai began to spilt and open horizontally. A spotlight shone in the middle of the room, revealing one person, Manjoume.

Judai hastily walked to the middle of the room. "Welcome, Dropout," Manjoume sniggered.

"Enough of the jokes, Jun, I'm here for my friends," Judai darkly told him.

Manjoume immediately scowled at Judai. "First of all, Saiou-sama and myself are in control. Second of all, you will not address me by my first name. You will refer to me as Manjoume-san-dorrgh…" A punch that came from nowhere knocked Manjoume off of his feet and to the ground.

"I'll refer to you how I want to, ass! Now, tell me where my friends are, before I test theory of a skull against a stonewall!"

Manjoume held his jaw. "You'll…you'll pay for that…!" Manjoume spoke with rage in his voice. He got up and charged at Judai, who dodged aside, tripping Manjoume in the process. Manjoume once again to the ground.

"That's enough, Sanda," Saiou's mystic voice said. "Leave some his opponent." Saiou stepped through into the spotlight.

"I'm not dueling either of you? Figures," Judai said. "Where are my friends?" the boy demanded again.

Saiou pointed to the wall next to Judai, who looked to his side. "It's a wall," the student said. Saiou snapped his fingers, and the wall slowly lifted up off the ground, and the shackles holding the students snapped open. They rubbed their wrists and arms. "Asuka! Kenzan! Sho! Fubuki! Areka! Misawa! Momoe! Junko! Are you guys all right?" They all just looked at Judai, some apprehensive, others a little nervous.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Judai asked, hurt by their visages.

"They just saw the real you. Or part of the real you, anyways," the dark, cold voice of the Judai look-alike told the boy.

Judai's eyes widened as soon as he heard the voice. He slowly turned around in the direction of the voice. The whole room lit up, revealing the entire room. Closing the distance between himself and the rest of the people in the room, was the older-looking Judai. "No…impossible…" Judai stammered.

"What's wrong? No greetings for me, Judai?" the man chuckled. "Not even for your dear older brother, Jaycen Davis?"

**AJ**: Yeah, sorry if the chapter seems kinda scrunched together. I smushed a lot into this one little chapter.

**Bil**: You could've split this over two chapters.

**AJ**: Well, coulda, woulda, shoulda. Come back next time for Chapter 23, To find out more of Judai's past. How is one named Yuki Judai related to another named Jaycen Davis? And how will his friends react to Judai's hidden past?

**Bil**: Not interested.

**AJ**: Hopefully, they will be.


	24. The Darkness in His Eyes

**AJ**: Ahh…the beauty of having a snow day.

**Bil**: How'd you get a snow day, IT HASN'T EVEN SNOWED YET!!!

**AJ**: I know. They're preparing for what we're s'posed to get, which, if it turns out to be like two or three inches, I'll laugh my ass off.

**Bil**: Well, at least I'll have someone to annoy for a day.

**AJ**: There's one way to look at it.

Chapter 23: The Darkness in His Eyes 

"BROTHER!?!" everyone yelled. The only one who wasn't surprised by this announcement was Saiou, who obviously saw this coming, and Judai. Jaycen walked straight up to Judai. Jaycen was a good three or four inches taller than Judai.

"Technically half-brother," Judai growled. "He's four years older than me. We both have the same father, though different mothers. But from what I've seen, I don't know if I want to even call him that." The boy's brow furrowed, but it was unknown if it was out of anger or fear.

"Touche, little bro," the older man chuckled, as he placed a cigarillo into his mouth and lit it. He took a deep breath and blew out the smoke.

"I see, you tarnished my old jacket, the one my mother gave me," Judai scowled.

"You mean your foster-mother. Yeah, red's not my color, I'd much rather go for blue, so when I had it lengthened, I had the color of the collar changed to. Of course, that stupid little 'E-Hero' symbol had to go to, but oh well. It may have signified her love for you, but then, she was pretty much the only person in this world that has loved you. At least the only one you remembered."

"You're definitely not the man I once knew."

"From what I saw in that duel, I could say the same for you."

"What?" Judai inquired.

"How could you let that buffoon even scratch your Life Points, let alone take them down by over 1000?" Jaycen demanded while his eyes blazed with rage. "Any fool could've known that if you just brought out Flame Wingman first, you would've ended it without any damage. You've changed since our last duel four years ago. You've begun to instincts over common sense."

"Aren't we over-reacting a little from one duel," Judai sneered.

"Tch, you could say that. But it's not just the duel I'm annoyed with. You came here without any inkling to what was going on, nor any idea who was actually here. The old you, the _real_ you, would've never walked into this mess without knowing who was here. Common sense should've told you by now, that you are the Society's main target. Your friends are just bait. There was no reason to hurt them."

"And what could you possibly know about the real me?" Judai shot back angrily.

"I know that the real you is just biding its time, waiting for the right moment to come out. And if you need proof, I'll show you." He took a controller from his jacket, and hit a button. A screen lowered and a projection of the duel Judai just had showed up on the screen. Jaycen then zoomed in onto Judai's face. "See that? That gleam in your eyes? THAT is the real you. The you that was developed when the both of us traveled through the hell that was called 'life'."

Judai's face fell. Was that why his friends were so apprehensive before? Jaycen turned off the screen. "So, now, do you need any more proof?" the man asked.

"Ok, I'll admit it," Judai stated. "I lost it for a little there. But I won't go back to that person. I'll fight harder to control it."

At that instant, Jaycen thrusted his fist straight into Judai's face, knocking the boy down to the ground. "Judai!" Asuka yelled. The group ran over to him and helped him sit up. Judai held his face for a few moments, slowly lowering his hand and standing up. The youth glared at his brother.

"Are you telling me that you are just going to throw away all that your life gave you!" Jaycen shouted. "Do you need a refresher on what you went through?!" Then his eyes widened and an evil smirk spread across his face. "Or maybe…we should give your friends the knowledge you have kept hidden for so long."

Judai's eyes widened in shock. "No, they don't need to know about my past."

"I think that they should know about the individual they are dealing with, the one who you can become," Jaycen said.

"Judai," Asuka said behind Judai. "We can take any information he'll give us, don't worry."

"Yeah, Aniki! Our opinion of you won't change!" Sho told him.

"You guys," Judai said.

"Appears as if they want to know," Jaycen said. "Alright, let's begin." He took another puff from his cigarillo. "The man before you, Yuki Judai, that is not his real name. His real name is Richter Davis. He was born from our father, Jonathan Davis. This boy in front of you wouldn't know however. When he was three, we lost our parents. I remember it vividly. We came home to our apartment late Christmas Eve from a Christmas Party."

Momoe and Junko gasped and looked at each other. "Was…was your apartment Crystal Towers?" Jaycen nodded. "No way…"

"What is it?" Asuka turned and asked her two friends.

"The Crystalline Fire? You've never heard of that?" Junko asked.

"No," Kenzan told them.

"It was a fire that occurred over Christmas Eve night into Christmas Morning at the Crystal Tower apartments. Somebody was ordered to burn the entire building down as a threat to the owner. They say there were over 100 people who died there," Momoe explained.

"But I heard anyone who was in the building never got out, because it collapsed," Junko stated.

"Indeed it did. The roof caved in on our father and this boy's mother, killing them. I grabbed him, and we desperately ran to escape our seemingly imminent demise. But somehow, we reached a window, and jumped through it. We crash landed inside a dumpster. I don't remember much else, because I drifted off to sleep soon after. But the next thing I do remember, was being in the hospital, being treated for minor burns and scrapes. Judai was being treated because some glass that must've been broken inside the garbage bin stuck into his body."

"Oh my God…" Areka breathed.

"Obviously, he would turn out to be ok. But he was in serious condition for a few days. Soon we were brought to an orphanage. After six months, a well-off family soon took us in. We were shown love like they were our real parents. I even had an older brother now, as they had a son who was 16." He took another puff from his cigarillo.

"But tragedy struck again. First the son they had went out partying with some friends, and let one of his friends drive home. However, the driver was not exactly coherent. They got into an accident with another drunk driver. The son didn't survive. Our new family was hit hard, but the mother still showed us he affection. The father, however, grew distant from us. He ignored us more and more, and began to drink, heavily. He became somewhat violent, and would come home late at nights. Then one night, he finally lost it."

Judai's eyes began to tear up, and he finally broke down. "Judai?" Asuka asked. Judai knelt down and covered his eyes with his hand, trying to block the tears and the sobs. Asuka slowly walked up behind him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to soothe the boy's pain.

Jaycen continued. "It was in the summer. Our foster-father came home one night after drinking at the bar. He had been fired earlier that day, apparently and went to the bar. One thing led to another, and somehow, he blamed all his problems on us. He dragged the two of us out of bed, and began to pistol-whip us. The beatings went on for a good half an hour."

"Where was your guys' foster-mother?" Areka asked.

"She was at the store, buying food and medicine. Judai had a bout of flu at the time. She came home after a half-an-hour, and heard the thumping of metal on skin and bone. She knocked the man aside, and grabbed the two of us. She started towards the door, when a shot was heard. A bullet went straight through her head, and she dropped."

All was silent except for Judai's sobs. After a few moments, Jaycen continued.

"We finally stood up for ourselves. We both tackled the man, and ran away. We just kept running. Luckily all we had were bruises, because we wouldn't have survived had we any open wounds. We were found in the park by a shady-looking figure. We didn't have anywhere else to go, and he basically ordered us to go with him. We went, not knowing where we were headed. But the man was a leader for one of the first Underground Dueling Leagues, Jared Collinson."

"The Death Duel League," Misawa stated.

"Indeed so. A league where every duel was a risk, as the loser would be dropped from a platform to the ground, usually resulting in death or at least serious injury. People would pay good money to us duel. Soon, we became the best of the best. Judai with his Arch Villain deck, and myself with my Machine deck."

"Arch Villain deck?" Fubuki questioned. They looked at Misawa, who shook his head.

"Yep, you thought the old Judai would use those pathetic wimps called Elemental Heroes? Not even close. Judai and I won duel after duel, slaughtering all opponents. They were mostly homeless children who were there, as the losers would normally die. I became the oldest living duelist there, as I was still alive at 17 years of age."

"However, the crowds became bored. We were always the winners in our duels, and they wanted something new. So, Judai and I were placed in our first Death Duel together. For even more excitement for those bloodlustful fools, we dueled above an alleyway between two ten-story buildings. After a vicious duel, I finally got the last attack in, finally defeating Judai's 'undefeatable' deck." Jaycen smirked eagerly. "Judai dropped from the sky and down to the ground. I thought I had finally proved which of us was greater."

Jaycen's eyes then flashed. "But somehow, Judai survived. He was picked up by an elderly man named Yuki Tsudu, and named this boy 'Judai' because he found him when he was 13. The old man then began filling Judai's mind with junk of 'Faith, hope, and love', as well as, 'Trusting others'. I watched from the darkness. It made me sick, watching my younger brother neglect everything he had learned and believed in the first 13 years of his life."

"I didn't neglect everything I learned!" Judai shouted at his older brother, as he stood up.

"Judai…" Asuka said.

Jaycen's brow furrowed a moment. Judai glared as he continued, "I just learned new things that were necessary to life. All since I left our foster-parents' house, I had an emptiness inside of me, inside my soul. You kept telling me that victories and survival were all that we needed. You know what? None of that stuff gave me any lasting happiness! I was taught by that great man who took me in off the street that love and trust and friendship were necessary in life. Winning is a false filling that will only keep the soul satisfied for so long. Soon, it will fall through into the bottomless pit inside of you."

"SILENCE!" Jaycen yelled. "Look at what happened to us! I trusted my mother, she ended up leaving my dad and me. I trusted my father and your mother, they ended up dead in a fire. I trusted our foster-father, he ended up killing our foster-mother and treating us as his emotional and physical punching bag! You trust others and you get betrayed! It's a fact of life! Just look at your friends!" He jabbed a finger in their direction. "They were easily manipulated by this fool of a diviner, tricked into believing that they would be better people in helping him with his maniacal schemes! You trusted them, and what did they do in return? Spit right on your trust!"

"LOOK WHO'S TALKING!" Judai fired back. "WHO'S HERE HELPING SAIOU GET ME TO JOIN HIS SIDE!?! YOU'RE NOT THE MAN I RESPECTED AND ADMIRED WHEN WE WERE…"

He was cut off by another fist to the ribs by Jaycen. Judai dropped to his knees, doubled-over, gasping for air. Jaycen forcefully placed the bottom of his boot onto Judai's forehead. The older man scraped his boot off the top of his younger brother's face. Judai glared through the scrapes on his forehead. A slight drop of blood dribbled from the boy's mouth.

"Don't talk to me like I'm here for that fool," Jaycen told his brother coldly. "I'm here to make you see reason! If I was working for that jackass, your girlfriend's brother would be serving Saiou even as we speak!"

"You're wasting your time," Judai darkly answered.

"Then I have no choice. The only way I can make you see reason is through a duel, an old duel that you know off. We will finish what should've ended four years ago!" Jaycen shouted. He threw a set of Dueling Shackles at Judai who caught them. Judai looked at the shackles before releasing them from his hand.

Jaycen looked back. "What are you waiting for?"

"I'm not dueling with these. I'm never going to become Richter Davis. My name is Yuki Judai, and I am who I am. Leave me and my friends alone!" the boy shouted at his brother.

Jaycen just glared at the youth. "Then, I will end your worthless life right here and now." He slowly reached inside his jacket and pulled out a Revolver. He raised it to be pointed at Judai. "Either you come along, or I fire this pistol and end the torture you've given your pathetic soul."

Judai's eyes widened. "You wouldn't…"

"I'm trying to save you from more pain and humiliation you get from trust. Now, I know you like your friends, but if you wait any longer, I'll pull this trigger six times. Do you think you could take all six bullets for them?" Jaycen grinned maliciously.

Judai glared at his brother for a few seconds. He bent down and picked up the Dueling Shackles. "You have officially lost your mind," Judai stated. He placed the dueling shackles on his legs, arms, and neck, and began walking forward.

He felt a light tug on his jacket, and he turned around. Asuka was staring at him, looking as if she was about to cry. "What's wrong, Asuka?"

"Don't do this," Asuka pleaded. "This is just wrong."

"If I don't, he'll shoot me anyways, at least this way I have a fighting chance," Judai told her.

A click was heard behind them. "I'm waiting, little bro," Jaycen scoffed.

Judai took off Asuka's hand. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Jaycen lowered the weapon. "About time," he said coldly. They took positions at each end of the large room. Six chains lowered, three on either side of the large block that they were standing on. "Hook those chains to the floor. There are connections on the floor," Jaycen explained.

Judai hooked the chains to the platform. He stood in the middle of the platform. Shortly thereafter, the floor began to separate from the ground. Showing in the middle a large pit of darkness. The floor separated far out of jumping distance for either of the two individuals.

"One of us will not be leaving here Judai. The winner of this duel will advance to the finals," Jaycen told him eagerly, activating his duel disk.

"That's fine with me," Judai whispered. He didn't want to say anything, but his adrenaline was already pumping. He was becoming…excited over this duel. But the winner was going to fall into the dark pit! Judai shook his head. 'I can't let myself lose control. I have to find a way to win this duel, and keep both of us alive,' the boy thought to himself.

"Ready? Now, let the last Death-match begin!"

"DUEL!" both men shouted.

**AJ**: Well, talk about an emotional ride. O.o;;;

**Bil**: Yep, not a bad chapter. Kind of hard to follow, though.

**AJ**: Ehhh, I could've done worse. Now what deck will Jaycen be using?

**Bil**: He said what kind of deck he used in the chapter.

**AJ**: Aha, but will he still use that deck, or will he use something different?

**Bil**: I hates you.

**AJ**: Join the club; I hear they're selling jackets and caps.


	25. Fratricide

**AJ**: I'll start my next chapter on my snow day. Don't expect to finish, however.

**Bil**: Hurry up and start typing. Less talk-y, more type-y.

**AJ**: Alright, alright…sheesh, you're like my mother.

Chapter 24: Fratricide 

Sho, Kenzan, Asuka, Fubuki, Areka, Momoe, Junko, and Misawa all looked on as the two duelists began their duel. Manjoume and Saiou were on the other side of the room, watching the duel. Manjoume still scowled from the punch Judai gave him.

"This is just so unnecessary," Sho said. "Aniki shouldn't have to duel like this."

"I'm more worried about Jaycen's deck," Misawa announced. "What kind of deck will he be using?"

"He used a machine deck against me, so it will probably be that," Fubuki said. "But we can't be sure till his turn comes."

"It doesn't matter!" Asuka told them. "Judai hasn't lost when it mattered before. He won't start now."

Manjoume began chuckling. The group turned and looked at the Society's last duelist. "What's so funny?" Kenzan demanded.

"You mean you don't know?" Manjoume asked haughtily. "Look at Judai. Why would he wear dueling gloves and a jean jacket when he hasn't before?"

"What do you mean?" Areka demanded.

"I mean that he still hasn't fully recovered from his burns from his last duel," Manjoume informed them.

"What?" Asuka inquired.

"He's hoping to cover up his burns and hide them from his opponent, hoping that it will give him some psychological edge," Manjoume continued. He smirked and licked his lips. "But looking at his opponent, I doubt it will."

Judai stood across from his brother, scowling at his opponent. 'What kind of deck will he be using?' the youth thought. 'Will he still use his old Machine deck, or will it be something else. He saw my duel so he knows I'm using the Elemental Heroes. Man, I wish he'd give me some hint.'

Jaycen glared back at Judai, before smirking and blowing Judai's glower aside. "Are you going first, or shall I?" Jaycen scoffed.

This snapped Judai out of his train of thought. "Draw!" he called. 'Since I don't know what kind of deck he'll be using, I'll start out on the defensive,' the boy thought.

"I'll summon Elemental Hero Avian, in defense mode! Then I'll place two cards facedown, and leave it there!" Judai declared.

"Pathetic," Jaycen said.

"What's that?" Judai shouted, annoyed.

"Your move," Jaycen stated. "You go defensive just because you haven't seen what kind of deck I'm using. I'll give you a hint; the deck I'm using will help to make you remember the old days. This deck is the deck that sent so many others down to the depths of hell. How ironic that's its next target will be you!"

"No way…" Judai whispered. His eyes widened. "How did you…?"

"I draw!" Jaycen tore a card from his deck, and looked at it. "I activate the Field Spell, Villain's Lair!" Shooting up from the ground came a dark shaft. All around, there were platforms and catwalks. The whole scenery let out a cold, distinct aura.

"Remember this card, little brother?" Jaycen called mockingly. "This is the spell you used so many times against so many opponents. As you know, it raises the attack and defense of all monsters with Arch Villain in their name by 300 points! It saved you time and again, up until our last duel! Do you think you can defeat your old deck, Judai?" Jaycen burst into laughter.

"Is that your turn?" Judai angrily asked.

"Hardly," Jaycen stated trough his mirth. "I now summon Arch Villain Temptress (1000/800), in attack mode!" Judai's brow furrowed, as a woman clothed in blue veils and appeared. The creature bore a blue veil over most of her face. The hologram displayed black hair and icy blue eyes. "I see you remember this card, too. As long as Villain's Lair is on the field, this card can switch the battle position of one face up monster on the field! I'll switch your Avian into attack mode!" Avian slowly stood up into an attack position.

" And, because of Villain's Lair, her attack increases to 1300! Now, Temptress, show Avian what happens when you trust your opponent! Attack him!" Temptress sped over to Avian, suddenly drawing a dagger out of the back of her clothing, and stabbing the monster through the heart. Judai roared in pain, as he was charged with red lightening from the black shackles.

"Aniki!" Sho and Kenzan yelled.

"Judai!" Asuka and the rest called.

Judai staggered for a moment. He picked his head up, glaring at his opponent. "I…I activate my trap card, Hero Signal!" Judai grunted. "With this, I can special summon one Elemental Hero with a level of four or lower! I'll special summon Burstinatrix, in attack mode!"

"How's that for a wake-up call, hmm?" Jaycen stated as he began laughing again. Judai winced as the he felt the electricity subside, though it seared his already pained burns. "It appears those burns you were trying to cover from my sight couldn't hold back that electricity from those shackles," the elder brother mocked.

"Just finish your turn," Judai stated as firmly as he could.

"Hmph, fine, I'll set a card. Go ahead, little bro."

"Good, Draw!" Judai looked at his card, and grinned. "I'll send that damage back at you and more, right here!"

"Tch, this I got to see," Jaycen scoffed at his younger sibling.

"You asked for it, scumbag!" Judai spoke with his eager smirk. "I activate The Warrior Returning Alive! This card allows me to bring one Warrior-type monster back from my graveyard to my hand! I bring back Avian! Now, I activate Polymerization! I fuse together Elemental Heroes Avian in my hand with Burstinatrix on my field to summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"

The two heroes joined together, and a ball of light formed around them. When the light faded, the Judai's favorite green, black, and red hero descended to the ground. Judai's smirk grew bigger.

To Judai's surprise, Jaycen also smirked. Judai's smirk melted away into a frown. He then noticed Jaycen's facedown card. 'That card must be a way to destroy or weaken my monster. I should probably stall for a turn or two; maybe I'll be able to draw it with another monster.'

"You've got to be kidding me," Jaycen said as he began laughing heartily.

"What's so funny?" Judai growled, getting very annoyed with his elder's cocky attitude.

"You're going to be defensive again! I knew you became soft and instinctive in your time away from dueling, but never would I thought you to be gutless!" Jaycen mocked.

"Gutless!?" Judai flared. "I'll show you gutless! Wingman, attack his Temptress! Infernal Rage!" Judai ordered.

"No, it's a trick!" Fubuki yelled.

"He's goading you into an attack!" Misawa told the boy.

"It's too late, he's already declared his move," Manjoume sneered. His grin grew wider.

The hero leapt into the air and aimed his dragon-arm at Temptress. A stream of fire spewed out of the lizard's mouth in Temptress's direction. 'He may have grown older, and he may have tempered down, but his anger is still easily drawn out,' Jaycen grinned as he mulled over the thought. 'Yet more proof that he's enjoying this duel, whether he'll admit it or not. And if he's enjoying the duel, then he'll become closer to his old self. Then, only then, will he defeat me, and Saiou.'

He glanced to the side at Saiou, and quickly looked back at the duel. "I activate my facedown trap, Villain's Tripwire!" Judai's brow furrowed, and he grunted in dismay. "As you already know, this card can only be activated when an Arch Villain is attacked. Then your monster's attack is lowered by sum of the combined levels of our monsters times 100. Now, I know your math isn't up to par, so I'll help you out," Jaycen jeered. "Four, my monster's level, plus six, your Wingman's level, equals ten. I believe that is 1000 attack points down, if I'm not mistaken," Jaycen scoffed.

Wingman's attack was blasted with a black, evil aura, reducing the effectiveness of the attack to 1100. Temptress punched into the middle of the fireball, knocking the blast back into the hero's chest. The monster dropped to the ground in a giant ball of fire.

Judai howled in pain again, as more red electricity tore through his already battered body. His LP dropped down to 3500, but the small decrease in his score didn't reduce the anguish Judai found himself in. The lightening soon subsided, but the agony remained in the aftermath. Smoke rose from the scarred jacket of the youth. Beads of sweat gathered on Judai's forehead, as he breathed rapidly, in an attempt to soothe the physical pain his body was feeling.

'Excellent!' Jaycen thought. 'The look in his eyes; the sweat on his face; the heavy breathing; his will to survive is beginning to surface! That is the key to bring out his original self!'

"I end my turn," Judai gasped.

Jaycen smiled again. "Still believing in your friends now?" Judai's brow furrowed at the taunt. "I see they're helping you out, just standing over on the side, watching you. When did they ever do anything to save you, hmm? Who was the one who had to save everyone when the Seven Stars came? Wasn't it you who brought your girlfriend's brother back from his 'Darkness'? Who defeated Camilla? It wasn't Chronos, nor was it Kaiser. Who defeated Taniya to knock some sense into Misawa? When the chips were down, who defeated your revered Daitokuji? I believe your friends lost, and gave your Dorm Head leverage in your duel?"

Judai's glare became fiercer. "You keep my friends out of this. They've done more for me than you ever have!"

"Oh, you mean like allowing me to force you to come here and becoming bait for our duel?" Jaycen shot. Judai's frown became less wild at this last statement. "Ahh, touched a nerve did I?"

Judai thought this over for a few moments. "Don't listen to him, Aniki!" Sho called.

"We were trying to get rid of the Association while you were out!" Kenzan told him.

"Judai," Asuka began, "You know we wouldn't do anything to try to hurt you. We're your friends!"

Judai looked at his friends with a somewhat glazed look in his eyes. He shook his head, and glowered back at Jaycen. "You're just trying to play mind games! You're trying to divide and conquer!"

Jaycen frowned. "Then I'll prove it to you by force! Draw!" Jaycen looked at his cards. An evil gleam formed in his eyes. "I'll summon Arch Villain Sniper (300/500)!" Jaycen declared. A figure dressed in a black skintight full body suit appeared, wearing Infrared Goggles, and holding a long sniper rifle. "Thanks to Villain's Lair, he gains 300 more attack points! Plus this card can attack you directly! And finally, as long as Villain's Lair is on the field, he cannot be the target of an attack!" The figure disappeared in a flash somewhere in the scenery.

"Now, Temptress, attack him directly!" Temptress dashed across the field, pulling out the dagger hidden inside Temptress's skimpy outfit. She closed in on Judai.

"Trap Card, open! A Hero Emerges!" Judai declared with a grin. "Here's how it works, you choose one of my two cards in my hand, and if it is a monster, I can summon it! Otherwise, it goes to the graveyard. So, choose!"

Jaycen shook his head. "You go even so far as to rely on luck? How humiliating, that I have to face you as you are now."

"Quit stalling, and choose!" Judai demanded.

"Fine, the card on my right," Jaycen half-heartedly called.

"Congratulations, you chose E-Hero Clayman! I'll special summon him in defense mode!" Judai smiled.

"Awesome!" Areka called.

"Now, he can't attack Judai!" Momoe cheered.

"Hopefully, Judai can make a comeback off of this," Junko grinned.

"You guys are forgetting something," Fubuki told them, as the Obelisk frowned. They all looked at him.

A red dot appeared on Judai's forehead. "Your girlfriend's brother is right, Judai," the older brother informed him. "You're forgetting about my Sniper! Attack that fool directly!" A bang was heard, and a bullet passed through the center of Judai's head.

Again, red electricity ripped Judai's body to shreds. Again, Judai cried out in pain. And again, Judai's Life Points dipped slightly, this time by 600 to 2900. Asuka began to quiver in fear as her hands slowly rose to her mouth in reaction to her friend's torture. "This is just horrible," she finally breathed.

"Aniki hasn't even scraped Jaycen's Life Points yet," Sho worriedly stated.

"In a normal duel, I wouldn't count Judai out yet. But due to the fact this is a Death-match, not to mention he hasn't fully recovered from the Metsu Hadou, I don't know if Judai will hold out till then end, unless something drastically changes, very soon," Fubuki explained.

"I have to agree. So far the only thing that has happened has been Judai getting electrocuted and tortured. This isn't a duel, it's fratricide!" Misawa declared.

"I set one card. Turn end," Jaycen spoke.

Judai wobbled a bit from the unequivocal pain. "Judai, don't embarrass yourself anymore," Jaycen ordered. Judai picked his head up. "It seems your abilities have peaked. There is no way you could defeat Saiou and Manjoume over there, let alone me, as you are now. You should resign yourself to this fate; it's kill or be killed. If you keep dueling in an attempt to rescue both of us from death, you'll lose, and you'll die. Do you think you could face your friends on the other side, or watch them from your ghostly state, knowing you failed them?" Jaycen mockingly smirked at Judai.

'I need to think of a way out of this. But…can I do it, and rescue both of us at the same time?' Judai thought. His eyes immediately widened. 'No! I can't think like that! I have to rescue both of us…for myself, and for Jaycen. I may be down, but I ain't out yet!'

"It's my turn, Draw!" Judai tore a card out of his deck, praying it'll be something that would pull him out of his present predicament.

**(Judai's Life Points 2900, Jaycen's Life Points 4000)**

**AJ**: HELL'S YEAH, I'M PUMPED!!! That must've been my best chapter in a long time! Too bad it's a school night, or I'd begin the next one!

**Bil**: Even I gotta admit, that was one good chapter.

**AJ**: Oh yeah, a few more of those, and I'll be back in business! Stay tuned in for Chapter 25!


	26. Darkness of Heart

**AJ**: Here's part 2 of the duel with Jaycen, will Judai be able to counter his old deck? More importantly, can he defeat Jaycen without killing the man?

**Bil**: He's the hero, of course he will.

**AJ**: Pessimistic, aren't we?

**Bil**: Indeed.

**AJ**: We'll see what happens.

**(URGENT: For those of you who didn't reread the last chapter, I revised Jaycen's last turn. He also set a card. That's how I planned it originally, but I accidentally skipped it…Stupid me. -.-;;;)**

**Chapter 25: Darkness of Heart**

"Draw!" Judai shouted at the top of his lungs, as he tore a card from his deck. He looked at his card. "I activate the Magic card, E-Emergency Call! It allows me to add one monster with Elemental Hero in its name to my hand from my deck! I'll add Elemental Hero Sparkman to my hand!"

"Alright!" Kenzan cheered. "Now Aniki's got a monster strong enough to destroy those Arch Villains!"

"I'll summon Sparkman, in attack mode!" Judai called. Sparkman appeared in a flash of light, and flipped in the air, before lightly landing on the ground. Judai's frown spread into a grin. "Looks like you'll be getting a taste of your own medicine, 'Big bro'," the younger sibling mocked.

"So…go and attack," Jaycen dared. Judai's brow again furrowed in annoyance.

"You asked for it!" Judai roared, before jabbing a finger in his opponent's direction, before ordering, "Sparkman, attack Arch Villain Temptress!" Sparkman raised a closed fist, charging it up with blue lightening, before sending a series of bolts at Temptress.

"I asked for it, and you gave it! I activate my facedown Trap, Villain's Alarm! " Jaycen declared. "Villain's Alarm can only be activated when an Arch Villain is attacked when Villain's Lair is active. Your attack is negated!" The lightening bolts struck all around Temptress, but none ever touched her. She was never destroyed, and

"Now, I get to special summon an Arch Villain with an attack of 1000 or less from my deck. I special summon Arch Villain Black Venom (400/400) from my deck!" A black ooze dropped from an air-duct in the scenery. It soon morphed into a human being, with red eyes. "It's attack increases by 300, thanks to my Villain's Lair!"

Judai's eyes narrowed and he groaned. "I'll set a card and end."

"Draw!" A smirk grew on Jaycen's face again. "Looks like you'll be taking more damage this turn, my dear little bro." Judai remained steadfast. He just glared at Jaycen, awaiting for his sibling's maneuver.

"I summon Arch Villain Desperado (900/700)!" Jaycen placed the card in attack mode. A vortex formed on the field, and a figure rose from it. The figure had a red sloth tied and covering his face. The rest of him covered black cowboy attire, with two holsters, one on either sides of his pants. Each holster contained a revolver. "And his attack points are now 1200, thanks to my field spell."

Judai winced. 'I'm not going to have anything on my field, once he's done. Not to mention my Life Points will take a steep dive.'

"Man, Jaycen's monsters outnumber Aniki's two-to-one!" Sho called.

"Don't worry, none of them have more attacks than Sparkman. The worst that can happen is Judai will lose 1100 LP," Areka stated.

"I don't know. Judai looks as if he's bracing himself for more damage than a thousand LP," Fubuki noted aloud.

"The man knows more than he lets on. I activate Black Venom's special effect! When Villain's Lair is on the field, I can sacrifice him from the field. Then one monster on your field has its attack points reduced by 300 times the number of Arch Villains on the field other than itself. So, I sacrifice him, and reduce the attack of Sparkman's by 900 down to 700!"

Black Venom morphed into its oozy form, and dove directly at Sparkman. Electricity tore through Sparkman, as it's body weakened. It staggered, as its attack points lowered.

"I'm not done! Temptress, switch Clayman into attack mode!" An eerie black aura surrounded Temptress, which was then transported over to Clayman. Clayman slowly, reluctantly, rose into an attack position.

"Sparkman!" Judai shouted in dismay. " Clayman!"

"I'd be more worried about myself right now, if I were you," Jaycen sneered. "Desperado, attack Clayman!" The Villain drew its pistols from its holsters, and twirled them on his fingers a couple of times. He stopped them after a few rotations, and aimed them at the Hero. The Villain fired six shots, and as each one struck Clayman, the hero's body vibrated in pain. After the sixth shot hit, Clayman exploded. Judai another charge tore through Judai's weakened limbs.

"And now, Desperado attack Sparkman!" Jaycen ordered, before the electricity had fully subsided. Desperado turned its revolvers on Sparkman, and fired another series of bullets, shattering Sparkman's hologram, and sending another rush of voltage through Judai's body. The boy staggered dangerously close to the edge of the platform as he lost balance from the pain of the electric torture.

"Judai!" Asuka screamed.

"Watch out for the edge!" Misawa hollered.

Judai regained his senses in time to fall backwards to the middle of the platform. "I…play my…trap…" he breathed. He gulped, allowing his voice to become firmer. "Elemental Mirage, it lets me special summon an E-Hero when back to the field when it is destroyed. So, Sparkman comes back."

"Tch, you bring back that pathetic thing?" Jaycen growled. "I'll admit, you are persistent, but your stubbornness will only result in more torment! Sniper, attack him directly!" A red dot appeared on Judai's chest, on his heart. Judai, on one knee, was shot again, as a fake bullet passed through his chest. Another wave of lightening shot from the Dueling Shackles. Judai clutched his chest, his body quivering in agony.

"I think that's enough for now. Go ahead with your turn, if you can even move," Jaycen scoffed. Judai's breaths were rapid and inconsistent. Smoke poured off the youth's coat, which was burned and charred from the repetitive electricity. Slowly, he turned his head to the side and opened his eyes slightly to look at his Life Point meter, showing that he had 1400 LP remaining.

Asuka looked at Judai's state in despair. Each of those attacks felt as if she had taken the damage herself. She couldn't stand seeing Judai receive any more anguish. She momentarily caught herself pleading that he would just stay down, quickly dispelling the thought. But gradually, the young duelist rose from the ground to his feet. Her heart dropped, however, as it appeared that each breath could be his last.

"My turn, draw," Judai said quietly. He took a card from his deck. "I activate Pot of Greed, which lets me draw 2 more cards." He did so, and looked at the new cards. A grin grew on his face. "Looks like I can still trust my deck."

"Trust…your deck?" Jaycen scoffed. "You can't trust in an inanimate item, you fool."

"I'll show you, I activate the Magic card, Miracle Fusion! By removing E-Hero Fusion-Material monsters on my field and in my graveyard from play to Fusion Summon another Hero! I remove Sparkman and Clayman in order to summon Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!" The two monsters sped into the ceiling, where a storm had suddenly appeared. Descending from the black clouds was the giant hero. It slowly glided to the ground.

"So, you got a big monster on the field, congratulations. I still don't see what you prove," Jaycen told him.

"Well, see, this guy has an effect. When he's summoned, I can destroy one monster on your field with original attack points equal to or less than Thunder Giant's attack points!" Jaycen's eyes widened in intrigue. "I see you're impressed, you won't be for long, as now I'm going to send you into a world of hurt! Thunder Giant, destroy Arch Villain Sniper!" A giant ball of electricity charged up in the hero's hand, before launching the lightening ball at a catwalk. The catwalk exploded, as a figure careened towards the ground. The figure shattered as it hit the ground.

"Not, Thunder Giant, attack Arch Villain Desperado! Molten Thunder!" The giant sped over to the enemy, lifting its hand above the enemy monster. Blue lightening spewed from the hero's palm, and electrified the cowboy-based villain. The opponent was incinerated.

For the first time in the duel, Jaycen was struck with the red lightening that had been tearing Judai apart, as his Life Points decreased to 2800. To his friends' surprise and fear, Judai smiled greedily at the electricity. "How does it feel, big Bro?" Judai sneered.

Jaycen just began laughing. "Ahh…what a feeling. I can sense something changing within you. You are becoming more like me, more like the person you really are," Jaycen grinned.

Judai frowned. "I am nothing like you!" he roared.

"Oh, no? You seem to like seeing your opponent writhing in pain an awful lot for someone who didn't originally want to duel," Jaycen noted. Judai's face quickly tensed. "Oh, realized that yourself, did you?" Judai growled in annoyance. "There's no reason to hide it. Who cares what your friends think about you? This is a duel for your life, not theirs. If you lose, you won't even see them again. Why don't you worry about eliminating me, rather than trying to look good in the eyes of your allies?"

"I'm dueling for my friends as much for myself. I'm dueling you to get us out of here!" Judai shot back.

"That's what you insist, but you cannot deny the intensity is affecting you in this duel. Any idiot can tell you're enjoying yourself."

"You're wrong!"

"If you say so. I think the truth will reveal itself soon enough. Continue with your turn."

"I'll end it." Judai answered quickly.

"Poor choice, Draw!" Jaycen's malicious grin returned as he looked at Judai. "You remember your strongest monster in your deck, Judai?" Judai's brow furrowed. "By your look, I'd say you do. I think it's time for you two to get reacquainted. I sacrifice Temptress to summon Arch Villain Maleficus (1500/1500)!"

Temptress descended into a black vortex that appeared underneath her. The swirling abyss flashed for a moment, as a creature slowly rose from it. It was pale-skinned with long black horns sprouting from its forehead. It was bathed in a navy blue aura, with a long flowing red cloak. Its wings folded open, revealing it's demonic form more vividly. It's long pale arms ended with large hands. Black claws were at the end of each fingertip. It finally opened its eyes, revealing black cold pupils.

"That thing looks pretty dangerous, but it only has 1500 attack points. How could a weak monster like that need a sacrifice?" Kenzan wondered.

"Because of its effect," Judai groaned aloud. "It can't be targeted with effects as long as Villain's Lair is active. But that's not all; that thing gets 300 attack points from the field spell, plus 400 for every Arch Villain in the graveyard!"

"I see you remember this guy vividly. So, with the four Arch Villains in the Graveyard and the field spell's effect, Maleficus gains 1900 attack points!" Jaycen stated loudly.

"No way!" Momoe shrieked.

"This will hurt," Junko worriedly said.

"Aniki!" Sho shouted.

"Maleficus, show your former master your strength, Attack Thunder Giant!" Jaycen ordered. The creature flew with blinding speed at Thunder Giant, and sped past it swiftly slashing the hero with both claws as it passed. Thunder Giant's hologram disappeared, along with 1000 of Judai's LP. The boy howled in pain again, falling to his knees.

Jaycen chuckled. "I'll have to hand it to you. It has been a while since someone even scratched my LP in a Death-match. But don't let it go to your head; I've been in these duels a lot more frequently than you have. I'm a little more trained to handle the shock than you are."

Judai rose to his feet. "Man, you just don't give up do you? Please don't tell me you're still fighting for your friends, and your cards."

"Guess I'll have to disappoint you, but I still am," Judai called. "I'm still in this duel for the long haul, so you better be prepared as well."

Jaycen shook his head. "Your friends aren't doing anything. They are just standing there watching you in pain. But, I'm sorry, maybe you're talking about your cards, because obviously, you can still trust them, correct?"

"I'm talking about both my friends and my deck. So unless you do something drastic, I think you'll be surprised what I can do, when I trust my friends and in my deck," Judai told him.

"I'll make you eat those words," Jaycen glowered. "I'll set one card. I end."

"Draw!" Judai called. "I summon E-Hero Bubbleman! When he is summoned to my field, and there are no other cards on it, I can draw 2 cards!" He drew his new cards. "Now, I set a card, and end it."

"Draw!" Jaycen didn't even look at his new card, before calling, "Maleficus, attack Bubbleman, and put that fool out of his misery!" Maleficus charged towards the hero, sharpening its claws to finish off the hero.

"Hold it, I activate my Trap, Draining Shield!" Maleficus sliced at Bubbleman, but struck a shield. "Now I get to stop your attack, and I get an increase in Life Points equal to your monster's attack points!"

'Everything is going according to my plan,' Jaycen mused. 'I'll show Judai the power of this deck he couldn't open, thereby destroying his trust not only in his friends, but in that pathetic deck of his!' "I'll set a card, and end it there."

"Draw!" Judai declared. He grinned. "I activate the Spell card, Metamorphosis! I can send one monster on my field to the Graveyard, and in exchange special summon one Fusion monster with the same level from my Fusion Deck! So I'll send Bubbleman to the Graveyard, to summon Elemental Hero Neo Bubbleman!" The water-based hero disappeared in a wave of water. The water subsided, showing that he had been changed. He now had grown wing-like structures on his back.

"Now, I equip Neo Bubbleman with the magic card, Bubble Blaster! It increases Bubbleman's attack by 800 to 1600! Now, Neo Bubbleman, attack Maleficus!" The hero sent a bubble-based rocket directly at the villain. Jaycen's creature easily knocked the projectile back towards Judai's monster.

"What was the point of that?" Jaycen growled, annoyed he would waste a turn like that.

"The point is, I can sacrifice Bubble Blaster to negate the damage done to Neo Bubbleman, so he stays, and my LP are safe. However, your monster isn't so lucky."

"Excuse me?" Jaycen frowned.

"See, when a monster battles Neo Bubbleman, once the battle is over, your monster is destroyed!" Maleficus began glowing a white, hot light. The creature then exploded, and disappeared in a flash. Jaycen braced himself from the intensity of the image.

"Looks like I am still in this!" Judai taunted. His friends all began cheering for him.

"Alright, Judai!" Areka called.

"C'mon, Aniki! Hang in there!" Sho screeched.

"You took out his strongest monster, you got him on the run, now!" Fubuki shouted excitedly.

Jaycen just laughed maniacally when he heard Fubuki's comments. The cheering immediately ceased, as they all looked at Jaycen's constant laughing. "Hey, what's so funny?" Judai demanded forcefully.

"I'm sorry, it's just that all this talk about how you trust your friends, and trust in your deck, is really becoming rather funny," Jaycen explained. "Even your talk of how you say we're different from each other."

"What?" Judai inquired.

"See, all beings have a dark side to them. You have a stronger side of that, due to your past. It is now time to show you that, even heroes, can have and fall to the evil in their hearts."

"Evil in my heroes? You're bluffing. I trust my heroes with my life!" Judai stated vehemently.

"We'll see. You know, you never actually unlocked the full potential of this deck. Your most powerful monster was Maleficus, but in reality, the strongest monster in an Arch Villain deck is whatever monster is on the field. The true Arch Villain deck draws upon the evil of its opponent and it opponent's deck, as well as itself."

"I don't understand…"

"You will. And then, you're old self will return, and then, the real Death-match shall finally begin! I activate my facedown Permanent Trap card, Seed of Evil! I can activate this card only when an Arch Villain is destroyed while Villain's Lair is active! This card allows me to place one Villain Counter onto an opponent's monster whenever an Arch Villain is destroyed! So I'll place a Villain Counter onto Neo Bubbleman! Go on with your turn."

"I…I end," Judai cautiously said.

"Draw!" Jaycen looked at his card and smiled. "Judai, with this card, my victory is assured. I'll show you just how fragile your trust really is! I active the Permanent Spell card, Darkness of Heart." Suddenly, an eerie chill spread from the card through the dueling field and into the room.

"Wh-What does that card do?" Sho asked worriedly.

"I don't think I want to find out," Fubuki growled.

"Judai…" Asuka whispered as she looked at the youth. The boy's eyes darted from side to side, as he looked, hoping to discover the effect of the magic card.

**(Judai's Life Points 3800, Jaycen's Life Points 2800)**

**AJ**: That's it!

**Bil**: Excuse me?

**AJ**: That's it! I'll type another chapter for this duel soon.

**Bil**: YOU GET BACK TO TYPING THIS DUEL RIGHT NOW, YOU FOOL, BEFORE I SLICE OFF YOUR HEAD AND USE IT FOR A TOILET!!!!

**AJ**: …Uh…Gotta go! -speeds away-

**Bil**: GET BACK HERE YOU ASSHOLE!!!!


	27. The Awakening

**AJ**: Another chapter up in the mini-Arc. How will Judai counter Jaycen's new devilry? And what does Jaycen mean when he says he'll prove one can't trust anything but one's self?

**Bil**: He's right, you know. You put trust in others; you can easily be betrayed.

**AJ**: You really don't like mankind, do you?

**Bil**: Meh…it IS overrated.

**AJ**: Whatever…

Chapter 26: The Awakening 

Now, Neo Bubbleman, attack Maleficus!" The hero sent a bubble-based rocket directly at the villain. Jaycen's creature easily knocked the projectile back towards Judai's monster.

"What was the point of that?" Jaycen growled, annoyed he would waste a turn like that.

"The point is, I can sacrifice Bubble Blaster to negate the damage done to Neo Bubbleman, so he stays, and my LP are safe. However, your monster isn't so lucky."

"Excuse me?" Jaycen frowned.

"See, when a monster battles Neo Bubbleman, once the battle is over, your monster is destroyed!" Maleficus began glowing a white, hot light. The creature then exploded, and disappeared in a flash. Jaycen braced himself from the intensity of the image.

"Looks like I am still in this!" Judai taunted. His friends all began cheering for him.

"Alright, Judai!" Areka called.

"C'mon, Aniki! Hang in there!" Sho screeched.

"You took out his strongest monster, you got him on the run, now!" Fubuki shouted excitedly.

Jaycen just laughed maniacally when he heard Fubuki's comments. The cheering immediately ceased, as they all looked at Jaycen's constant laughing. "Hey, what's so funny?" Judai demanded forcefully.

"I'm sorry, it's just that all this talk about how you trust your friends, and trust in your deck, is really becoming rather funny," Jaycen explained. "Even your talk of how you say we're different from each other."

"What?" Judai inquired.

"See, all beings have a dark side to them. You have a stronger side of that, due to your past. It is now time to show you that, even heroes, can have and fall to the evil in their hearts."

"Evil in my heroes? You're bluffing. I trust my heroes with my life!" Judai stated vehemently.

"We'll see. You know, you never actually unlocked the full potential of this deck. Your most powerful monster was Maleficus, but in reality, the strongest monster in an Arch Villain deck is whatever monster is on the field. The true Arch Villain deck draws upon the evil of its opponent and it opponent's deck, as well as itself."

"I don't understand…"

"You will. And then, you're old self will return, and then, the real Death-match shall finally begin! I activate my facedown Permanent Trap card, Seed of Evil! I can activate this card only when an Arch Villain is destroyed while Villain's Lair is active! This card allows me to place one Villain Counter onto an opponent's monster whenever an Arch Villain is destroyed! So I'll place a Villain Counter onto Neo Bubbleman! Go on with your turn."

"I…I end," Judai cautiously said.

"Draw!" Jaycen looked at his card and smiled. "Judai, with this card, my victory is assured. I'll show you just how fragile your trust really is! I active the Permanent Spell card, Darkness of Heart." Suddenly, an eerie chill spread from the card through the dueling field and into the room.

"Wh-What does that card do?" Sho asked worriedly.

"I don't think I want to find out," Fubuki growled.

"Judai…" Asuka whispered as she looked at the youth. The boy's eyes darted from side to side, as he looked, hoping to discover the effect of the magic card.

**(Judai's LP 3800, Jaycen's LP 2800)**

Judai turned his neck side to side, searching for something to hint what was going on. "What's going on?" he called to Jaycen.

Jaycen just chuckled. "As I said, it is the part of the Arch Villain part of the deck you never unlocked. It uses the evil within the opponent and his or her deck to eliminate the opponent."

"Like that tells me anything," Judai grumbled. "Heroes don't have evil within them."

"Oh, really? I'd love to prove you wrong," the older sibling sneered. "You see, when I activate Darkness of Heart, any monsters with Villain Counters are automatically transferred to my side of the field! So guess who Neo Bubbleman is going to be following now?"

"What!?" Judai shouted.

"No way…" Misawa breathed.

They all stared at Judai's hero. A black aura surrounded the monster, which started holding its head. It looked as if it was in pain. "Bubbleman! Fight it!"

"Sorry, even heroes can be tempted by the evil within them," Jaycen told him. True enough, the monster picked up its head, revealing an evil grin on the hero's face. Two bright red lights glowed from behind its mask for eyes. It leapt into the air and glided slowly to the ground.

"No…Bubbleman…" Judai groaned.

"There's more. Darkness of Heart gives me a bonus, as all the monsters with Villain Counters on my side of the field are treated as if they had Arch Villain in their name. So Neo Bubbleman gains 300 more attack points. Trust is doing you a big favor now, isn't it?"

Judai growled in annoyance at the taunt. The dark aura surrounding Neo Bubbleman grew larger, as its attack points grew to 1100. "Now, I'm going to turn your monster's attack back onto you! Bubbleman, attack your former leader!" The hero leapt into the air, and pointed the gun on his wrist at Judai.

Judai stared sadly at his former ally, as the monster launched projectiles at the youth. The struck the boy in the chest. Red electricity tore through Judai's body, as he lost 1100 LP down to 2700LP. He skidded back a few steps from the force of the blast. He slumped to one knee, but raised his head up to glower at Jaycen.

"Aniki!" Kenzan and Sho called.

"Jaycen is even able to use his enemy's monsters. Is there any weakness in that deck?" Misawa thought aloud.

"Who cares? Judai's finally met his match," Manjoume said gleefully.

"The duel's not over yet!" Areka shouted.

"It may as well be," Manjoume told them.

"I hate to admit it, but he's right," Fubuki said. "There's no telling how many more attacks Judai can take. I can't believe he is even standing. He must be running on adrenaline right now."

'They don't know the half of it,' Jaycen reflected. 'Judai has an amazing amount of stamina. Something else is happening to him, besides being able to run on adrenaline. His desire, his will, to survive is surfacing. He'll soon use any means necessary to take control of this duel, even sacrificing his own monsters just to keep an even advantage. It may even start this turn.'

Asuka finally had enough of the duel. "Don't you even have a heart, or a soul!?" she cried at Jaycen. Jaycen's train of thought was broken by this comment, as he looked over at the girl.

"Excuse me, Miss, but can I help you?" he questioned.

"Stop this duel! Can't you see Judai is barely able to fight any longer? Whether you want to have this duel or not, he is your younger brother! You shouldn't need to torture him to get your point across! Just stop this nonsense, and get yourselves back over here to safe ground!" she pleaded.

'Sorry, Miss, but this is for Judai's own good, as well as the world's. He cannot defeat Saiou as long as he'd want to save him, as Edo will undoubtedly attempt to do. Saiou has gone too far, he wishes to destroy the world, and only one who can coldly sacrifice him when they duel will be able to defeat that psycho.'

Jaycen was about to open his mouth and speak, when Judai spoke. "I won't allow anyone to interfere with this duel," he announced harshly. "Back off if you know what's good for you." Everyone stared at Judai, surprised by his statement. Judai's eyes were narrowed slightly towards Jaycen.

Jaycen noticed the look right away. 'He's slowly turning back into Richter Davis, the Reviled Demon. He's not there yet, but he's noticeably changing.' A grin spread across Jaycen's visage. 'Still, he has a long way to go, if he hopes to defeat me.' He wiped some sweat that had formed on his brow with his sleeve. "I'll end," he declared.

"My turn," Judai stated, as he drew a card. "I activate Graceful Charity. I draw three new cards, and then I discard two." He drew three cards, and heard a cooing. His eyes widened slightly, before he looked at his new cards.

"Winged Kuriboh?" he whispered. The Duel Spirit floated over to his shoulder, and began chirping in his ear for him to calm down, and regain his senses. Judai became extremely annoyed by the chirping. "I don't need a wimp like you right now," he hissed angrily. The monster's face fell into a shocked state immediately after the statement. It floated away back into its card.

Asuka gasped when she heard Judai's statement, as she saw the discussion between the small Duel Spirit and Judai. Judai…you're losing yourself…" she whispered. Fubuki overheard her statement, and stared at her for a second, then to Judai.

"I discard E-Hero Necroshade and Winged Kuriboh from my hand!" Judai called to his older brother. He glanced at Jaycen's field. 'That facedown of his is probably a Trap card. Luckily for me, I just drew a card to eliminate that advantage. Wildheart may be destroyed from Neo Bubbleman' effect, but that doesn't matter. It'll clear the field from him of his monsters, not to mention deal him some damage.' Judai grinned.

"There maybe hope for you after all," Jaycen sneered. "Discarding your Duel Spirit to attain victory, that's something I didn't expect to see."

"I don't need a weakling like that, when I'm fighting for my survival," Judai simply responded.

"Since when did he call his own monsters weaklings?" Sho breathed, looking at Judai nervously.

"Weakling, eh? Sounds like you're finally coming to your senses," Jaycen grinned.

"Judai, don't listen to him!" Asuka called. "You can't disregard your friends like this! Come back to normal!" Judai didn't respond. He seemed to be only focused on the opponent in front of him, everything else was just a distraction.

"Aniki…" Sho whispered sadly.

"It's still your turn, little bro," Jaycen called.

"I'll show you how dangerous your 'little bro' can be. I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart! Attack Neo Bubbleman!" the Osiris duelist ordered.

"You're going to sacrifice your own monster, just to get at his LP?!" Fubuki called angrily.

"He'd like to think that, but I activate my facedown Quick-Play Spell, Betrayal! I can activate this card to switch the Villain Counter of one monster to another. So, I'll give you back this pathetic monster, and I'll take that Wildheart!" The black aura left Neo Bubbleman, who looked shocked that he was on Jaycen's field, and entered Wildheart's body. The hero immediately stopped, and grabbed his head, before being overcome by the darkness. The hero gained an evil grin, and his eyes began to blow an eerie red. The monsters switched places.

"Oh, but the fun doesn't end there," Jaycen sneered. "See, if this card is activated during the battle of two monsters, the attack continues as if it had before. And since Wildheart is now treated as if Arch Villain was in its name, he gain 300 extra attack points, while Neo Bubbleman's attack drops back down to 800. Go, Wildheart, destroy his Neo Bubbleman!" The villainous hero leapt back into the air, and withdrew its large sword. The monster divided Bubbleman in two effortlessly. Judai roared as he took another rush of voltage through his body.

"And due to Neo Bubbleman's effect, Wildheart is also destroyed," Jaycen informed the boy during his torment. Wildheart glowed with a white, hot light and was incinerated, much like Maleficus before it.

Judai slumped to his knees, and clutched his chest in pain. "D-damn it…" the youth breathed.

"Aniki!" Kenzan and Sho called.

"Judai!" the rest cried.

"I'll…set a card…end that's…it," Judai said from his knees.

"Excellent, Draw!" Jaycen looked at his card. "I activate Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three, and discard two." He drew his new cards and looked at them and the other card in his hand. "I'll discard Change of Heart and Arch Villain Iago to the graveyard."

"Don't think you're off the hook though, Judai, because Iago has an effect," Jaycen told his brother. Judai, who was still on his knees, just narrowed his eyes. The boy wiped sweat off his brow. He struggled to get to his feet, but fell back to his knees. "Just stay there, Little Brother, the pain will come to you, because not even those monsters in your graveyard are immune from the evil temptations in their hearts. See as long as Villain's Lair is active, by removing Arch Villain Iago from my graveyard, I can special summon one monster in your graveyard with an attack of 1000 or lower to your side of the field. See? I can be brotherly, too." Avian reappeared onto the field with a rush of wind. Judai, finally, had gotten to his feet to witness the summoning.

Judai, however, wasn't falling for it. "What's the catch?" he growled.

"Heh, I can see you're not as foolish as I thought. See, your monster gains something else, a Villain Counter." Judai groaned in dismay. A black aura surrounded Avian, who groaned in pain, before falling prey to the Darkness of Heart Magic card. He, like the monsters beforehand, gained an evil grin and glowing red eyes. He floated over to Jaycen's field.

"And don't forget, it gains 300 attack points, because now it's an Arch Villain. Avian, attack Judai directly!" The monster floated into the air and flapped its wings a few times, sending a giant gust of wind and hundreds of dagger-like feathers directly at Judai. The feathers struck, sending another rush of red electricity through Judai's weakened form.

Judai howled loudly in an enormous amount of pain. The boy fell to his knees again. He just knelt in silence. His breaths were sporadic and rapid. He clutched his chest and his head was lowered towards the ground. "I'll end, little bro."

"He's done. I don't think he can go on," Fubuki declared quietly.

"I'm inclined to agree with you," Misawa said sadly.

"He's not done yet!" Momoe yelled, her voice breaking, not wanting to see her best friend, Asuka, in anymore pain than she already was.

Junko, however, shook her head. "I think they're right, Momoe. We have to start thinking of a way to get him out of there, before it gets any worse."

"Judai, give it up. You can't even stand up anymore. Battling any farther would be meaningless. I'm sure falling to death would be painless, as you would die before you hit the ground." Jaycen began chuckling evilly, before breaking out into laughter.

"Shut up," A cold, dark, hoarse voice demanded after a few moments. Everyone looked around, but no one could find the source of the voice. Asuka looked at Jaycen, who was looking across the field in shock. She looked at Manjoume and Saiou, who were also staring in the direction Jaycen was looking at. She turned his gaze in the direction they were looking.

Judai was standing, charred coat and all. Smoke poured off the blackened coat. A smile spread across Asuka's face. She was happy he was still ok. Judai then, however, lifted his head, revealing his visage.

Asuka fell to the ground in fear from what she saw. Judai's lips were contorted in a frightening scowl. The boy's brow had furrowed farther than she had ever seen before. His eyes had one of the most evil gleams Asuka had ever been forced to look at. The person standing there was a man using Judai's body. The warmth and happiness Judai's face had emitted so strongly now emitted coldness and hatred with the same intensity, if not more so.

Jaycen broke the silence. "I see you've returned, Richter." The older brother's voice was much less firm than it was a moment earlier. Judai kept his death glare onto his older brother. "It appears this duel has finally made all your memories and emotions burst from your heart. I knew when I saw that duel before. You had just stuffed all your old emotions into a giant closet, which was just set to erupt at any time." His mouth spread into a nervous grin.

Judai just glowered darkly at Jaycen, before, Asuka thankfully noted, closing his eyes. "If you knew that, then you must know what else will now happen," he quietly, and darkly, stated.

"Oh? And what's that?" Jaycen asked incredulously, his voice a little higher pitched than he obviously wanted.

"The only thing that matters," Judai spoke in his quiet, unnatural voice. He quickly opened his eyes, which were burning with an extremely intense rage. "Jaycen," Judai declared, "I'm gonna kill you."

**(Judai's Life Points 400, Jaycen's Life Points 2800)**

**AJ**: I wonder if Evil Judai will go over well…

Bil: Wouldn't 'Evil Judai' technically be Richter? 

**AJ**: Indeed. Oh, well, come back for the shocking conclusion in the next chapter.

**Bil**: …

**AJ**: …What?

**Bil**: …That was a pun, wasn't it?

**AJ**: And…?

**Bil**: -slices his belt, causing AJ's pants to slide down- No reason.

**AJ**: -immediately grabs his pants and pulls them back up-…I'm gonna get you for that one…


	28. Reconciliation

**AJ**: Here's the next chapter of the 'Judai's past' mini-Arc. I'm pretty happy with it right now, let's see if I can wrap it up like I want to.

**Bil**: Do your best, Loser.

**AJ**: Thanks…I think.

**Bil**: No problem.

**AJ**: OK, Anyways…I didn't really plan originally how long it'd go…but this section of the story was kinda when I started thinking about how much better the Genex tournament could've been if written differently. So if you'd like to thank anything for me writing this story…you should thank these six chapters.

Chapter 27: Reconciliation 

Jaycen broke the silence. "I see you've returned, Richter." The older brother's voice was much less firm than it was a moment earlier. Judai kept his death glare onto his older brother. "It appears this duel has finally made all your memories and emotions burst from your heart. I knew when I saw that duel before. You had just stuffed all your old emotions into a giant closet, which was just set to erupt at any time." His mouth spread into a nervous grin.

Judai just glowered darkly at Jaycen, before, Asuka thankfully noted, closing his eyes. "If you knew that, then you must know what else will now happen," he quietly, and darkly, stated.

"Oh? And what's that?" Jaycen asked incredulously, his voice a little higher pitched than he obviously wanted.

"The only thing that matters," Judai spoke in his quiet, unnatural voice. He quickly opened his eyes, which were burning with an extremely intense rage. "Jaycen," Judai declared, "I'm gonna kill you."

**(Judai's LP 400, Jaycen's LP 2800)**

"You…kill me?" Jaycen scoffed. His scowl turned into a smirk. "Apparently you don't realize the danger you are really in. You have only 400 Life Points, and you must be nearly unconscious from all the pain you took. You don't even have any cards in your hand. And let's not forget, you have yet to defeat me in a duel. Do you not remember the last time we fought?"

"I remember it vividly, Brother," Judai coldly stated. "However, this is a new day, and I have a new deck. And I think you should know best of all, that I'm not done until my Life Points hit zero. Matter of fact," Judai began grinning maliciously, "I believe you had me down to 200 LP when we dueled each other, while you still had over 3000, yet you only won 300/0."

Jaycen's eyes flared. "But now, I have your deck. I shall claim victory!"

"We'll see, but for now, I believe it's my turn, Draw!" Judai tore a card from his deck.

Asuka and the others looked at the duel, some in fear, others in astonishment. "What's…g-g-going…on?" Sho quivered as he asked. "Wh-why does…Aniki…look so…heartless?"

"Apparently, Judai's cold-hearted personality, how he used to be before a few years ago, has finally resurfaced," Misawa explained.

"But…Judai looks so…unnatural," Momoe spoke, frightened by Judai's death glare.

"We need to get Judai back to normal!" Junko shouted.

"I wouldn't try that," Saiou's mystic voice told them.

"Why not?" Areka fired at the diviner.

"Because Judai is too far gone," Fubuki informed them. "We can no longer be a part of this duel. They aren't dueling in front of us, they're in their own world, where only the two of them exist. It must be the same every time they dueled back when they were in the DDL."

Asuka trembled watching Judai's expression. She began to wonder if Judai felt the same way when he had to duel her. "Judai…" she whispered, her voice breaking. She felt as if she was going to cry, but no moisture came to her eyes. It was as if Judai's glare had frozen the tears in her eyes.

Judai looked at his card. "I activate the magic card, Hope of Fifth! By sending 5 Elemental Heroes from my graveyard back to my deck, I can draw three cards, and if it's the only card in my hand, which it is, I add one more to my three other cards. I'll send Elemental Heroes Wildheart, Burstinatrix, Thunder Giant, Bubbleman, and Neo Bubbleman back to my deck and Fusion Deck, shuffle, and draw my new cards." He did so.

"I activate the Spell card, Magic Stone Excavation! By discarding two cards from my hand, I can return a Spell from my graveyard to my hand! So I'll discard Fusion Sage and Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin, and bring back Miracle Fusion! Then, I'll activate my Miracle Fusion! I remove E-Hero Fusion-Material monsters from my field and graveyard to special summon an Elemental Hero from my Fusion Deck!"

"But you only have Necroshade and Flame Wingman in your graveyard!" Jaycen angrily declared.

"Glad you're paying attention, Fool. So I guess you're going to be the first to witness my new hero," Judai informed him. "So, get ready to meet, the newest E-Hero, Darkness Flare Wingman (2500/2100)!" The two heroes jumped into a vortex, which turned from purplish-blue to black. Two black dragon-like arms emerged from the blackness, one with red eyes on it, the other with dark blue eyes. The arms pulled forward a creature donning black, rigid armor.

The creature glided to the ground. The creature lifted its head, revealing slits in the helmet for eyes. The hero opened its eyes, revealing hot, white light emitting from the skullcap for eyes. "2500 attack points!?" Jaycen gasped.

"Darkness Flare Wingman would normally get a boost in Attack Points, 300 for every E-Hero in the Graveyard to be exact, but seeing as there are no Elemental Heroes in my graveyard, I guess his regular attack will have to do. Not like your monster can stand up to it. Consider yourself lucky. Darkness Flare Wingman, attack Avian with Enraged Darkness Flame!"

The new hero flew into the air and aimed its red-eyed dragon-arm at the traitorous hero, and sent a black flame that immediately incinerated the wind-based hero. Red electricity tore through Jaycen's body he staggered slightly from the damage he received. His LP Meter dropped to 1600.

Judai greedily licked his lips. "His attack isn't done. You see, when he destroys a monster, you take damage equal to your monster's defense points." Jaycen took a step back, shocked at the statement. The hero raised its blue-eyed dragon-arm, and sent a black flame stream through Jaycen again, docking him another thousand points.

"Looks like the score is closer than you thought, Big Bro," Judai, smirking evilly, sneered. "And because Avian is back in my graveyard, Flare Wingman gains 300 more attack points."

Jaycen dropped to a knee. It was now him who was in an extreme amount of pain. The older man glared at Judai. "What's wrong, Jaycen? A little light-headed, are we?" Judai mocked. "How does it feel to have the shoe on the other foot?"

Jaycen growled in pain and anger. "I wouldn't be so cocky, if I were you. You are still down in Life Points, and I have yet to summon the most powerful Arch Villain."

"Most powerful Arch Villain?" Judai echoed. "You mean Maleficus isn't the strongest?"

"You think I wouldn't expect you to defeat Maleficus? I would've been a waste of my time coming here, if I didn't think you'd be able to. However, no one has ever defeated me once I summoned this new Arch Villain."

"Looks like I'll have to be the first," Judai stated darkly.

"Don't bet on it. It's still your turn."

"Not for much longer, Next, I'll summon Dark Catapulter in defense mode! I end."

"Good, Draw!" Jaycen declared. "I activate the Magic card, King's Vice! With this card, I can remove Arch Villain monsters in my graveyard from play, and if their total attack points are greater than my newest Arch Villain's, which is 2700, I can special summon the new Arch Villain from my deck! So I'll remove Arch Villains Maleficus , Desperado, and Temptress. Their attack points equal 3400, so I can special summon my newest Arch Villain, Arch Villain King (2700/2500)!"

Black lightening struck the ground in front of Jaycen, causing an enormous explosion. Asuka and the others had to brace themselves to block the rush of force emanating from the explosion. Judai stood firm, not flinching even an inch. When the smoke cleared, unveiling a blonde-haired figure. The new Villain had a blonde goatee surrounding the monster's mouth. He had icy blue eyes, bearing at Judai. He was clothed in black armor, with a long flowing black cape. The creature held within his hands, a mammoth buster sword. An evil grin spread across the hologram's face.

"And King's attack and defense increase by 300 points!" Jaycen grinned. "Looks like I'm still going to win this duel, eh, Little Bro?"

"Go ahead and try," Judai scoffed.

"Alright then! King, destroy Darkness Flare Wingman!"

"Trap Card, Open! Mirror Force!" Judai declared with a smile. "When you attack, I can activate this card, it destroys all attack position monsters on your field!"

"I don't think so. You see, as long as Villain's Lair is active, King isn't affected by any card effects!" Sure enough, King's giant weapon sliced directly through the invisible force field that formed in front of Darkness Flare Wingman. The Villain then turned the sword onto the hero. Judai's monster never stood a chance. (Judai's LP 200, Jaycen's LP 600)

Judai groaned in pain, as the red electricity went through Judai's veins. He stumbled a bit. "Looks like even now, you're still…"

Judai began cackling evilly. He raised his head and bore down his stare into Jaycen. The youth licked his lips "This feeling…this duel…it's so perfect," he quietly, evilly, declared.

"Wh-what?" Jaycen said, surprised. He didn't intend for this to happen, for Judai to love this kind of duel. He just wanted the young duelist to realize that he would need to be cold-hearted towards his enemies in his duels against them. Jaycen gulped. 'I have to end this, now! It's gone too far.'

Asuka noticed this as well. She grabbed Fubuki's shoulder to get his attention. "We have to stop this!" she pleaded.

Her brother nodded. "But how?" he asked.

Asuka bit her lip. She had no idea how to do so. "Somewhere in there, the Judai we know has to be buried, just like the Judai Jaycen knew was buried. We just have to get him out."

"Again, how?"

"Working on it…" she breathed sadly.

"You done?" Judai inquired.

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Good, Draw!" He looked at his card. A maniacal smile grew on his face. "I activate the Magic card Spy Hero! By activating this card, I send 2 random cards from my deck to my graveyard. Then, one spell card is randomly selected from your graveyard, and it is added to my hand!" He closed his eyes and took his deck out, picking two cards from his deck. He opened his eyes and looked at the cards. "Elemental Hero Neos and Fusion Recovery to the Graveyard!" the boy declared.

A shaded figure appeared on the field in front of Judai. "Now, let's see if my 'God-draw' is still as good as it has been." The figure dashed into Jaycen's graveyard. A card ejected itself from Jaycen's graveyard and flew into Judai's hand. The boy gazed at the card, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Well, what do you know? How ironic."

"What is it?" Jaycen asked, annoyed.

"A card that explains this whole scenario perfectly," Judai said. He turned the card around. "It's the Spell card, Change of Heart!"

"Unbelievable!" Misawa gasped.

"His drawing abilities are still at their peak," Areka mused.

Jaycen, however, began to laugh. "Have you forgotten, you fool? I still have Villain's Lair on the field! King isn't affected by any card effects! You still lose, you imbecile!"

"I think you better recheck the field, Jaycen," Judai told his sibling. Jaycen glanced at the field, and his eyes widened. Dark Catapulter was still in play.

"No…th-that means…!" Jaycen stammered.

"It means your Villain's Lair is no longer a threat. See, Dark Catapulter gained a Turn Counter in my Standby Phase. Once per turn, I can remove Turn counters on Dark Catapulter. Then, I remove a number of cards in my graveyard from play. When I do that, I can destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field equal to the number of cards I remove from play! So, I'll remove Darkness Flare Wingman, and destroy your Villain's Lair!"

The creature charged up a ball of yellow energy between to antennae on its back. It targeted the field spell section of Jaycen's duel disk. "Fire!" Judai commanded. A stream of yellow electricity shot straight at the magic card, and destroyed it. The eerie scenery created by the Field Spell slowly melted away, along with the small bonus in attack points for King.

"Now, I believe King is a fresh target for cards now. I activate Change of Heart! It allows me to take control of one monster on your field! I'll choose Arch Villain King!" A spirit flew from the Change of Heart card, and into the body of Arch Villain King. The monster vibrated for a moment in surprise, before falling prey to the Spell's effect. It rushed over to Judai's field. And stood in front of its new master.

"Looks like this duel is mine, Big Bro. Do you give up?" Judai taunted, knowing the answer.

"You know that I'll never quit, Judai," Jaycen steadfastly stated.

" Sorry, standard question. Thanks for showing me how fun dueling can still be. I won't let you go away without a little something either, as I will guide you to your grave, all the way down to hell, Arch Villain King…!" Judai began.

"No!" Asuka screamed. Judai stalled for a second, and turned his cold gaze at the woman. She felt her body shiver, but remained firm. Tears were almost pouring from her eyes. "Judai, is this how you want to be remembered…a cold-blooded murderer!?"

"Asuka, if I don't win this duel, I sacrifice my life! Would you rather have me drop to my death!?" Judai demanded.

"I want this to stop! I don't want you dead, but I know you don't want to really kill your older brother! Look inside you, I know the Judai I know is still alive and well! He wouldn't want to do this!" Asuka pleaded tearfully.

Judai gazed at her, still coldly, but listening, which Asuka took as a positive from a few moments earlier. "Judai, look at yourself. Look at what you've become! Do you want to walk around all your life with that cold glare in your eyes? What has happened to you? You said before the duel that you weren't like Jaycen. You're even worse! You said that you trusted your friends. Then why is it that you thought we would abandon you if we learned of your past? Take a good look; we're still here! We know of your past. We know that you had a hard history. It's time to let it go! If you go through with this attack, you'll never become the Judai we know ever again!"

Judai stared at the girl. He lowered his head to the ground, and on the chrome surface of his platform, saw his cold stare reflect off the metal surface. He gasped in surprise and softened his stare. He held his hand up to his face. "This…is what I've turned into…!?" he breathed. He fell to his knees. "This…this isn't how…I do things…!"

Jaycen looked at the two's confrontation. 'I don't believe it. This girl…I knew Judai had feelings for her, but I never knew they were strong enough to break through Judai's dark side. She may be the blessing that Judai needs to overcome Saiou's treachery.' Jaycen smiled, not a cold, harsh smirk, but a warm, kind grin.

"Judai," the older brother said, causing the younger sibling to pick up his head, "it appears I was wrong."

"Wh-what?" Judai stammered.

"I came here expecting to duel Richter Davis, but all I got out of this duel was Yuki Judai. However, you've proven something to me. See, I came here in an attempt to show you that you'd need to turn into a merciless killer to defeat Saiou and the Society. But from what I just saw, you don't need to become the Reviled Demon to combat Saiou. You already have the support of your friends and peers." The duelist lifted his hand and placed it on the deck in his duel disk.

Judai gasped in surprise. "No! Jaycen, there must be another way!" Judai begged, tears forming in his eyes.

"I'm afraid there isn't. An old fool like me who can't change his views to equal the times isn't needed anymore. I have outlived my usefulness. Make sure you protect those friends with your life. Maybe if I had friends like them, I would have lived as good a life as you have and will." He beamed warmly at the young Osiris duelist, then looked to the side at Asuka.

Asuka gulped slightly, before being surrounded by a warm presence that only Judai had given her. She then heard Jaycen's voice in her head, 'Take care of Judai. He may be the hero, but you are the force that drives him.' She gasped at this, and looked back from Judai to Jaycen.

Having finished that, Jaycen closed his eyes. "It was an honor to duel you, my brother." The older duelist then pressed the button and ejected the deck from his duel disk.

The holograms on the field disappeared. Immediately after, the platform beneath Jaycen split down the middle and gave way. Jaycen dropped from the light of the arena down into the depths of the darkness to die, alone.

"Jaycen!" Judai yelled. No response. "JAYCEN!" he called louder, to no avail. "JAAAAAYYYYYYYYCEEEEEENNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!" the younger boy shouted, his voice echoing as the epitaph to his older brother.

**AJ**: Wow…emotional indeed. First Judai has dreams of his mother and father dying, he remembers his foster-mother's death, and then he has to witness, and play a part of, the death of his only surviving relative.

**Bil**: That was a pathetic storyline. You ended it on a bad note.

**AJ**: Yeah, well, I'm not trying to get you to approve, though I don't know if the viewers will approve. It if helps any, this won't be the last you see of Evil Judai, or Richter Davis, whichever you choose to call him.

**Bil**: Better not be, Moron.


	29. Teardrop

**AJ**: Yeah…sorry for ruining the last chapter with that ending. I originally thought of something else to happen, but I thought the ending I _did_ put made more sense. Maybe not.

**Bil**: Definitely not.

**AJ**: Yeah, well, for any consolation, as I said last chapter, Evil Judai makes another appearance, so its not like I'm done with him yet.

**Bil**: You still suck at typing stories.

**AJ**: That's enough out of the peanut gallery. By the way, I blatantly took Arch Villain King from Rave Master…and if you've seen the show, there may be something familiar in this chapter as well. I dunno yet, at this point.

**Chapter 28: Teardrop**

"No! Jaycen, there must be another way!" Judai begged, tears forming in his eyes.

"I'm afraid there isn't. An old fool like me who can't change his views to equal the times isn't needed anymore. I have outlived my usefulness. Make sure you protect those friends with your life. Maybe if I had friends like them, I would have lived as good a life as you have and will." He beamed warmly at the young Osiris duelist, and then looked to the side at Asuka.

Asuka gulped; slightly frightened by his stare, before being surrounded by a warm presence that only Judai had given her. She then heard Jaycen's voice in her head, 'Take care of Judai. He may be the hero, but you are the force that drives him.' She gasped at this, and looked back from Judai to Jaycen.

Having finished that, Jaycen closed his eyes. "It was an honor to duel you, my brother." The older duelist then pressed the button and ejected the deck from his duel disk.

The holograms on the field disappeared. Immediately after, the platform beneath Jaycen split down the middle and gave way. Jaycen dropped from the light of the arena down into the depths of the darkness to die, alone.

"Jaycen!" Judai yelled. No response. "JAYCEN!" he called louder, to no avail. "JAAAAAYYYYYYYYCEEEEEENNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!" the younger boy shouted, his voice echoing as the epitaph to his older brother.

Judai fell to his knees. "No…this wasn't supposed to happen," Judai whispered. "DAMN IT ALL!!!" He punched the platform he was standing on. He covered his eyes to hide the tears that had begun pouring down his face.

The floor slowly moved back into place, soon making the arena whole again. Judai soon heard footsteps approach him.

"Excellent duel, Judai," Saiou sneered. Judai didn't move. "No response? Have you lost your voice from reliving your past?" Saiou continued to taunt.

Manjoume kicked Judai in the face. "You'll respond when Saiou-sama speaks to you!"

Judai rose up and grabbed Manjoume by the scruff of his jacket. He glared at Manjoume, but it wasn't the same glare he had moments earlier. His eyes were full of tears. He was glowering, but it was from pain and emotional torment, not anger. Judai released Manjoume as suddenly as he had grabbed the rival.

Saiou looked at Judai's gaze, and turned around. "You will face your destiny at the Finals. We'll duel then," Saiou informed him. Judai nodded, and turned to his friends, who were standing behind him, were ready to react if they needed to, but Judai's sudden grasp at Manjoume stopped them.

"Judai…Are you alright?" Asuka quietly asked.

Judai approached them, his head lowered at them. He picked his head up, revealing a slight smile. "I'm fine. Let's go back to the Academia…" he told them. He suddenly lost the strength in his body, and fell forward. Fubuki and Kenzan grabbed him.

"Judai!?" the group screamed.

"I'm…I'm alright…" he gasped.

"No, we better help him up the steps," Misawa said. "It's as I thought. Judai for most of that duel was running on the adrenaline that ran through his body. Now that the duel has ended, his body has lost its energy it had been running on."

"Really…I'm…" he tried to push away from the group but found he had no strength to stand himself up. Fubuki and Kenzan threw the boy's arms over their shoulders.

"Let us take care of it, Judai," Kenzan stated flatly.

"Yeah, it's not everyday one wakes from a coma and immediately begins to duel," Fubuki informed the boy.

"Heh…guess you're right…" Judai breathed. The slowly began their trek towards the stairs. Asuka was following behind, when she felt a gust of wind, and heard paper ruffling. She whirled around, and saw a white envelope float towards her. She looked around, wondering how a gust of wind could blow through the basement of a building, when the letter fluttered into her range. She grabbed the envelope, and looked at the back of it. She turned it over, and saw it was addressed to Judai.

"What's this…?" she wondered aloud.

She was about to open it when Junko called to her, "Are you going to stay down here the rest of your life!?"

She was snapped out of her train of thought. "Sorry, I'm coming!" the Obelisk Blue Finalist called, and ran up the steps to join her friends.

"Saiou-sama, forgive my brashness, but shouldn't we have challenged Judai right there?" Manjoume asked. "I mean, he was weakened tremendously from his duel with Jaycen, so wasn't that a supreme chance to defeat him?"

Saiou turned his gaze onto his remaining duelist. He smirked evilly. "Sanda, I know how much you want to destroy Judai, but right now is not the time to do so. He was weakened, but we need to defeat him while he's conscious, and the way things were going, he wouldn't have lasted. Not only that, but his friends wouldn't have let him duel again even if he wanted to."

"I'm sorry for questioning you, Master," Manjoume apologized.

"Don't worry, Sanda, your chance to destroy Judai will come, as he will face you when the Finals start, I'm sure of it. Destiny has chosen you to be the only remaining duelist to face Judai. You shall do so, and you shall win."

"I can hardly wait," Manjoume said through an evil grin. He began cackling madly, unable to contain his eagerness.

'No matter who defeats Judai, I will be the victor in the end,' Saiou thought with a snicker. 'When he joins the Light, he will become my Instrument of Destruction. Him and Edo.' A smirk grew on his face.

The group hauled Judai up the stairs. Ayukawa, Chronos, Napoleon, and Samejima awaited along with two ambulances at the entrance for them to exit. They saw Judai, causing Ayukawa to immediately call for a stretcher. "We need to get him upstairs," she ordered worriedly.

"Nonsense…I feel fine…" Judai said, trying, and failing, to give a reassuring grin. He struggled to escape the grasp of Fubuki and Kenzan, but didn't have enough strength to do so.

"You're skin, which was already burned, has been electrocuted even more. You're hurt, and you're going to the infirmary," she glared.

"I'm telling you I'm…" Ayukawa had enough. In one motion, she slid his jacket sleeve up his arm and injected him with an anesthetic. Judai felt the last of his strength slip away, and felt the world around him spin. His world then slipped into darkness.

"Get him onto the stretcher," Ayukawa ordered. A few moments later, Judai rested peacefully on the stretcher. They soon were riding back to the Academia, Asuka, Fubuki, Ayukawa, Judai and Areka in one ambulance, while the rest traveled in the other

"How did you guys know where we were?" Fubuki questioned.

"Well, Chronos and Napoleon had raced to my office after their encounter with Judai, after he had awoken," Samejima explained. "They told us what had happened, and that Judai went into the forest after the rest of you. I remembered where Misawa had told us that they were going after you, and figured that it was the only place he could've gone in the forest. We rushed over here as soon as we could. When we arrived, we found an Obelisk duelist lying on the ground, and called the ambulance. Since then, we had been trying to find an entrance, but had found none. We waited for you to come out."

"Now it's your turn. What happened here?" Samejima asked.

Fubuki told them what had happened. Judai's brother's reappearance, Judai's past that was revealed, the Death-match duel the two had, the shocking conclusion the duel. Samejima listened intently, but none of it seemed to surprise him. After the story, they rode in silence.

"So," Samejima began, breaking the five or so minutes of silence, "you now know of Judai's past."

"Indeed," Fubuki stated. "Apparently, you knew of it, as well?"

"I didn't know the whole story, just that he was part of the DDL and that he was abused when he was younger. I never learned of his brother. He was able to get here because of a new program we started three years ago. We held the Academia Tournament, I'm sure you heard of it."

"Of course," Fubuki answered.

"Well, three years ago, the prize was a full scholarship to Duel Academia, but it was only for those children who had come from less than expensive homes. Judai came in and ran all over the competition. He won the prize money handedly. On the way back to his house to tell the grandfather the news, he explained to me that he had a rough time of it. When we went back to Judai's house, however, we learned Mr. Yuki Tsudu had a heart attack. No one had been around to help him, and he had passed on as well. Judai disappeared after they took Mr. Tsudu to the hospital and pronounced the elderly man dead. I didn't expect him to come back, but then saw him after the first day of classes. I almost half-expected him to commit suicide, and was thankful when I saw him," Samejima explained.

Asuka only paid slight attention to the story, instead watching Judai being treated by Ayukawa more closely. Her mind traveled through the last couple hours Judai and the rest of them had experienced. She wondered how from such a poor background could have built up such a strong will to live and win. She remembered the several times she had given up in her life, but Judai seemed never ready to call it quits.

She slid her hand into her pocket, and felt the envelope that was addressed to Judai. She wondered whom it was from, and why it was addressed to Judai. She yawned, and realized how exhausted this whole experience made her.

When they arrived back at school, the group took Judai back to the infirmary, and placed him onto a bed. Ayukawa asked for one of them to stay and help watch Judai for her, so she could take care of the Ra Yellow, and the Obelisk Blue students that had just came. Sho immediately volunteered, while the rest returned to their dorms.

Asuka, however, couldn't sleep. She rolled back and forth on her bed, but couldn't get comfortable long enough to fall asleep. She knew why, of course. Anyone with half a brain could have figured out why. Despite the fact Ayukawa had told them Judai would be fine after a good night's rest, she still couldn't stop worrying over the boy. She rolled over to the clock sitting on her nightstand, and saw the time was four in the morning.

She finally decided to get up, and go check on him. She switched her clothes, and silently slipped out the door, so as to not awaken the others resting in her private room at the Osiris Dorm. She hurried down the steps and towards the school. She rushed through the entrance, and up to the infirmary. She saw that Sho was sitting next to Judai, but had fallen asleep.

Ayukawa saw Asuka enter, and looked mildly surprised, but smiled warmly at her. She went to check on Judai, and Asuka walked up behind her. Ayukawa turned around, and whispered, "Could you help me get Sho into another bed? The poor child could barely keep his eyes open as soon as he sat down."

Asuka nodded at her, and they soon had Sho snoozing on a futon. Asuka covered him with a sheet, and took off his glasses, placing them on the nightstand next to his bed. She then went and sat down next to Judai. "Oh, no, dear, I can watch him," Ayukawa told her.

Asuka shook her head. "I'm not that tired, anyway. You look like you could take a break, though, Ayukawa-sensei," she told informed teacher.

Ayukawa stifled a yawn, and finally agreed to take a short rest. "But wake me up immediately, if anything happens," she sternly told the student. The school nurse then walked into the quarters she was given next to the infirmary, and the door locked behind her.

The only light in the room was from the lamp next to Judai's bed. Asuka watched the youth intently, as he rested. She watched his chest rise and fall to the tune of his breath. She soon became almost mesmerized, as the silent peaceful breaths soon made her tired. She felt her eyelids become heavy, and soon drifted off to her own dreamland.

Judai found himself back on the platform across from Jaycen again. He wondered what was going on, when Jaycen pointed at Judai, ordering an attack against him from Arch Villain King. The monster sliced his Darkness Flare Wingman apart again. Judai stared across the duel field, wondering what was going on. "Jaycen, what the hell is this!?" the boy shouted. "I don't want to duel you again!"

"Jaycen?" the voice, which sounded so familiar, inquired mockingly. "I'm not Jaycen." The figure picked up his head, revealing the same scowl Judai remembered was on his face when he was dueling Jaycen. Then, the figure transformed into an exact replica of Judai. "I am you!" the voice cackled.

"No, I'm not controlled by you anymore! Jaycen said I don't need you to defeat Saiou!" Judai screamed.

"It doesn't matter what that fool of a brother said. I'm still here; I'm still a part of you. Always have been, always will be. You better get used to it. I'll just bide my time. I know the most opportune moment will come soon enough," the Dark Judai stated, before erupting in laughter. A bright, white light soon surrounded Judai's world, before it disappeared.

The boy snapped awake and sat up. He was drenched in sweat, and his heart was racing. "No…I've got to control it…" Judai whispered. He opened his eyes, and noticed the jean jacket was no longer on him. He raised his head, and didn't know where he was for a moment. Then he remembered, he was injected with something that made him drowsy. He must've been taken to the infirmary. He heard someone snoozing, and looked into the direction of the noise.

He saw Asuka sitting in a chair next to him, her head resting back against the wall. A smile spread across his face. He felt much better, or at least good enough to move around, so he placed the sheet that was on his bed over her. She responded with a low sigh of appreciation. He yawned and stretched some and grabbed his deck, before deciding to take a walk. He opened the door to the infirmary, and walked out the door.

He walked past the Girl's Dorm, and remembered he left his jacket on a tree branch. He looked over in the direction of the tree he hung his jacket on, and saw a drop of red midst the new blooming green of life. He sneaked over to the tree and grabbed the jacket. He placed his arms through the sleeves, and felt the blazer, which seemed like he was missing his second skin before he put it on, warmed him up immediately.

He continued on past the Girl's Dorm, and down the dirt path. He finally arrived at his favorite cliff, thinking about his duel with Jaycen. 'Why'd you have to kill yourself? I don't understand.' He sighed. The duel ran through his mind, every move, every shock, every painful attack. He then remembered how he pushed away Winged Kuriboh.

He shuffled his deck a few times, and drew the top card from his deck, revealing Winged Kuriboh. "I'm sorry, Aibou. I wasn't myself, could you forgive me?" Judai whispered. He heard a cooing, though it was harsh. He looked to the side, and saw his partner floating next to him. The Duel Spirit appeared to be hurt emotionally, but he appeared happy that Judai was regretful.

"Don't worry, Aibou, I'll try to restrain that part of me from now on," Judai assured him. "You may have to help me, though." The floating Kuriboh chirped a happy response, then turned serious. "Tell her? Are you nuts?" Judai nervously asked. The small creature peeped at Judai. "I'm not going to tell her." The Duel Spirit sighed, and twittered its thank you for his apology and disappeared. The duelist breathed a sigh of relief, happy that one of his best friends was longer angry with him.

He sat down on the cliff. He looked out to the sea, and saw the sun rise from its peaceful slumber. "Wow," was the only thing that could escape his lips. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. 'Well…second most,' he reminded himself. He felt a cool wind rush past him, and breathed in deeply. He felt better than he had in a long time, he had to admit, but he still had one more person he had to bring back from the Light, as repetitive as it sounded to him. He heard a twig snap behind him, and whirled around.

Asuka stirred slightly, feeling something warm envelope her. She slowly opened one of her eyes slightly, and saw a figure placing something over her. She opened her eyes a little more, not really wanting to awaken, but then saw the figure was Judai. She wanted to respond, but all she managed to do was give a deep breath. Her body was still heavy and tired. She soon found herself asleep once again.

She felt the sun touch her face gently, and sluggishly opened her eyes. She yawned, and stretched. Something slid off her, and she noticed someone had placed a sheet on her. She picked up her head, and saw that Judai's bed was stripped of its sheet, and of its owner. She gasped, and immediately stood up. She looked around, searching for the youth. Then something clicked in her head. She smiled and tapped her forehead with her palm. "Of course," she whispered, exasperated at her stupidity.

She rushed out of the room, and down the steps. She raced out of the entrance and onto the dirt path towards Judai's favorite cliff. She tore through the less-traversed path, and finally reached the cliff. She saw the boy standing at the edge of the cliff with the boy's Duel Spirit floating next to his shoulder. She heard Judai laugh nervously, before he sternly said something that she couldn't hear. The Duel Spirit disappeared.

She then saw the sun rising in front of the duelist, giving the boy a bright outline, like a halo. Asuka gasped at the beautiful sight, and absentmindedly stepped into the clearing, and onto a twig. Judai whirled around at the sound, but breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed it was Asuka.

"Hey Asuka, what's up?"

"You know, you shouldn't be walking around in your condition," Asuka told him sternly, as she pursed her lips.

Judai smiled warmly at her. "Sorry, just needed to get a stretch going," he immediately confessed. Asuka's fake mad face immediately melted away. That boy wouldn't allow her to stay angry with him. She wondered if he knew that.

"What were you doing out here, anyways?" she inquired, walking up to join him.

"Just thinking," Judai responded.

"About Jaycen?" She questioned, sitting down next to him.

"Yeah."

Asuka looked at the boy's sad face, wishing she could do something for him.

"Judai?"

"Hmm?"

"Where do you get your support from, besides your friends, I mean. What makes it so you never quit? I mean, many people would've committed suicide, either intentionally, or not. What gave you the strength to go on?"

Judai stared at her, making her wonder if he was thinking of a response, or thought it was an odd question. He smirked at her, before saying, "Well To tell you the truth, I thought of committing suicide many times. It's not an exactly happy thought, but I'll tell you anyways."

"Don't put my thoughts ahead of yourself, Judai," Asuka quickly said.

"No, it's ok. Remember when Jaycen told you guys how my Foster-mother was killed?" Asuka nodded. "Well, she didn't die instantly, as he had stated. He was ahead of us, running away from her husband, but she fell next to me. I ran over to try to help her, but she said, 'Run…Judai…Never give up…You will…Live a good life…Judai.'With that, she passed on."

They sat in silence, as Asuka turned the story over in her mind. Absentmindedly, her hand rushed into her pocket. She then remembered the letter she had gotten when they exited the basement. She pulled it out of her pocket, and looked at it. "Judai, I found this…well, actually, it kind of fluttered over to me…"

Judai looked at the envelope. His eyes widened when he saw his name on it. "That's Jaycen's handwriting!" he gasped. Asuka handed it to Judai, who tore it open moments later. He grabbed the item that was inside. "Photos?" Judai gasped.

"Lemme see!" Asuka begged. She looked over his shoulder, and saw a picture of five people. The black hair and the brown hair, along with the gravity-defying hairdos, revealed the two boys to be Jaycen and Judai, respectfully. "Aww…look at how cute you were as a kid!" she breathed. Judai blushed deeply. "Are those your foster parents?"

Judai nodded. He pulled out another one, this one of him holding up his white jacket, trimmed with red on the collar and the cuffs of his jacket. The back bore a Giant golden 'H' that signified the E-Heroes. The name Richter Davis imprinted in kanji on the above and below the letter. "Wow…is that jacket…?"

"The one Jaycen wore during our duel? Yep. I thought it was cool. But looking back now, it signified more than that. It came from my foster-mom, who was the most important person in my life, back then. So I guess it signified the love I had for her," Judai told his friend.

"Oh…hey, there's another one!" Asuka squealed. Judai took it out. It was a picture of Jaycen and Judai, one arm over each other's shoulders. They each held up their favorite cards; Judai, his Flame Wingman, and Jaycen, a Jinzo.

"Wow, I haven't seen this picture in years," Judai whispered. His hand rose to the light, and noticed something was written behind it. He turned it over, and he caught his breath.

'To My Little Bro, I'm Sorry I Couldn't Be A Better Hero.'

Judai let the photo fall to the ground. He lowered his head, and began wiping his eyes. A lump rose in his throat that he tried desperately to keep down. He felt the urge to cry a good cry rise from within him. He began to sob, revealing he was failing in his attempt to stop himself from crying.

Asuka had read the sentence, immediately feeling a wave of emotion rush into her. She looked at Judai, and saw him trying to be strong. She felt that she needed to say something, but what? "You know…at times like this, I don't think men need to hold back…"

Judai finally lost control. He began to sob uncontrollably, and tears slowly poured from his face down his cheek. He growled a few times, desperately trying to keep the dam closed, but the urge was too much. The floodwaters burst through, and he thrust himself into the arms of the only person around to comfort him. Tenjoin Asuka.

Judai cried. The boy had the first good cry he had since he was young. All the emotions from the last year, all the pain, all the sorrow, all the anger, all the sadness, all the suffering, poured from his eyes like water from a faucet. He hugged the girl tightly, as he let go of everything he kept bundled up inside.

Asuka hugged the boy tightly, realizing for the first time, that despite the mask he put on, he was still just a sixteen year old. He shouldered more torment than any one person should have to in their lives, and he covered it up in an attempt to make it so no one would worry about him. He always thought of others, but he still had emotions. He still felt pain. He was still a person, hero or not. She finally understood Jaycen's last words.

She felt herself sobbing on instinct, and instantly placed a hand up to her mouth, to muffle it up. She needed to Judai's support right now. "Damn it…Damn it…Why'd he have to die…It wasn't supposed to happen like that…Why'd he have to die…" She discerned through his sobs. She did the only thing she could do; hold him close, and be the pillar Jaycen told her to be.

**AJ**: Ahh…I think I brought the story back on track. I'm sure Those of you who read the manga or seen the anime of Rave Master recognized part of the story. I'm sorry if it offended you somehow.

**Bil**: -sobbing-That was magnificent!!!!

**AJ**: Awww…Master has a soft side!

**Bil**: Sh-shut up…D-damn f-f-fool.

**AJ**: So cute…Anyways, sorry for the long chapter, but I wanted to cover a lot, and I felt if I had rushed it, it would've sucked majorly…I think it came off quite well, how I did it.


	30. Finals Run

**AJ**: Ahh…what a refreshing last few chapters…I think the 'Judai's Past' mini-Arc came off very well.

**Bil**: -sniffles-…B-b-bastard…ending with such a sad note…

**AJ**: Jeez…it wasn't that sad…Anyways, for those of you wondering, I'm skipping ahead of Edo getting the Bloo-D (Blue-Dee) card for two reasons, and if you don't mind I'd like to start with the second reason. (2.) I couldn't think up a deck that would be adequate for DD and the Ultimate D card (without making another group of D-Heroes) besides the one they (the creators) already had made. (1.) I would've had to plan a duel exactly like the one that was already made because of reason 2. So…if you want to see Edo retrieve the Ultimate D-Card, watch episode 98, except Edo's boat wouldn't have exploded, and he would've escaped on it.

**Bil**: So in other words…you had a writer's block and were too lazy to get yourself out of it?

**AJ**: Well…if you wanna put it THAT way…

**Bil**: You're hopeless…

Chapter 29: Finals Run 

Judai awoke with a start and stretched. It had been a few days since the duel with Jaycen, and most of the minor burns had healed up. The boy couldn't find it in his heart to hate his brother, however. Despite all the pain he went through, and the fact his brother unlocked a deep darkness within the young hero, Judai still couldn't find the ability in him to hate his brother.

He also knew he had to move on. Judai still had a mission to complete, namely defeat Manjoume and Saiou and eliminate the Light of Ruin. He wouldn't let his brother's demise go to waste. He had to defeat Saiou, but he also had to keep his promise to Edo, and make sure Saiou came back in one piece.

Judai sighed. "Still a lot of work to do," he mumbled. The boy tried to clench his right hand, and although he could close it, he was still in an extreme amount of pain. He winced as he reopened his hand. 'Damn it, I used up a lot of strength in that duel,' the boy thought.

He could do basic things, but he had no clue if he could duel at a great intensity for a while, which was trouble considering he still had the Finals, and the duels weren't going to get any easier. He still had his right arm burned, as well as his ribs and upper chest still in pain. Ayukawa and his friends had worked tirelessly to get him healthy, but he couldn't wait to be finished with being in the infirmary. He never liked being inside or inactive.

Judai stepped out of bed and changed. He pulled on his jeans and was putting his black undershirt on when the door to the infirmary slid open. In walked Ayukawa, Asuka, Sho, and Kenzan. Asuka blushed, seeing Judai was missing his shirt, and turned around away from the boy. Judai breathed a sigh of embarrassment, before putting his shirt on. Ayukawa stepped up to him, and began checking his pulse and his heartbeat. Judai shivered slightly the cold stethoscope touching his chest.

"Well…you seem ok…but now we have to change your bandages and administer more medicine," Ayukawa said. She began to prepare the salve.

"Again!?" Judai groaned. "Couldn't you let them heal on their…" He cut himself off in mid-sentence, seeing Ayukawa glaring ice daggers into him.

"You have several second degree burns on you arms and chest," she told him sternly. "If you don't get this medicine, you run the risk of having scars on your right arm and chest. You're already in an extreme amount of pain. Honestly, I don't know what happened down there, but you shouldn't have done it." Judai forced a wide disarming smile grow on his face, which satisfied the doctor. Sho, Kenzan, and Asuka began stifling giggles.

Ayukawa pulled off Judai's shirt. "Right after I put it…" Judai began to moan, before stopping when Ayukawa shot another look at him.

"Asuka, would you take off his bandages? I need to prepare his medicine. Kenzan-kun, Sho-kun, I need you to get some ingredients."

The three nodded, and Kenzan and Sho rushed off to do their chores. Asuka began removing the layer of bandages on his arm. She gazed at the arm, and began placing her hand on it. Judai, who was still griping about the medicine, wasn't paying attention. When Asuka touched his arm, he instinctively pulled it away, as touching the arm was painful. Asuka lost her balance and fell forward onto Judai's lap.

"Sorry," she hastily stated, before lifting herself up. She raised her head, and gasped, as she was mere inches from Judai's face. Judai's face was blushing a slight rose-color, and Asuka suddenly felt her cheeks warm to signal they were going red, too. Instead of backing away however, Asuka couldn't move.

She soon realized that instead of not moving, though, the two were actually nearing each other. Their faces were down to four inches…then to two…they could feel each other's breath…

"AYUKAWA-SENSEI!!!!!" Sho yelled from the door. Asuka and Judai snapped back to reality, both blushing deep red at how close they were. "We can't find the medicine you're asking for!" Asuka backed away and Judai turned his head the other way.

"S-sorry," Asuka stammered.

"M-me too," Judai returned.

Asuka then walked over behind the bed Judai was sitting on, and began unwrapping the bandages on his torso. The bandages removed, and the medicine created, Ayukawa walked over and began applying the cream she had created. Judai flinched as the sensation burned at first, but as it cooled, his face softened. When the balm and the bandages were reapplied, Judai felt almost as good as new.

The boy slipped out of the bed, and tried moving his body and arm. "Heh, awesome," Judai whispered. He clenched his fist, and felt little pain. "At least if it's injured, I won't feel it as much." Ayukawa tossed his black undershirt to the boy, who immediately put it on over his bandages. The youth grabbed his red blazer and put his arms, his right slightly slower than his left, through the sleeves.

"Alright, now what's on the agenda for today?" Judai asked, his voice picking up slightly.

"You don't remember? Today is the selection of the opponents for the finals!" Sho stated loudly.

"Oh, really?" Judai inquired. The others shook their heads and sighed in disbelief. Judai, however, knew exactly what day it was. He just wanted the others to quit watching his every move, afraid he would collapse at the slightest overexertion. "So who else is it besides Asuka and me?"

"Well, barring a shipwreck, Edo should be here later this morning," Asuka informed the lad. "So it will be us two, Edo, Hell Kaiser, Saiou, and Manjoume."

"Wait, what about Fubuki?" Judai questioned. Kenzan shook his head.

"Aniki, Jaycen defeated Fubuki before you two dueled," Kenzan told him.

Judai sighed. He thought they outnumbered the enemy. 'Well, at least Ryo's not joining with Saiou,' Judai thought with a serious look on his face, 'but he'll be tough to beat, if I have to face him before my duel with Saiou or Manjoume.'

Sho saw Judai's serious face. "Something wrong, Aniki?" he asked. Judai picked his head up and hastily shook his head. Sho didn't believe him, but let it slide, happy that Judai seemed to be a little more chipper now.

"Judai!" Misawa shouted, storming into the hospital wing.

"What's up, Misawa?"

"It's Edo, he's back!"

Edo stepped off the boat and onto the harbor. He took a deep breath of fresh air, and blew it out of him. "I'll never get tired of this clean, fresh air of the forest," the pro stated, rather happily. He yawned loudly and stretched. He heard something coming towards him, and lifted his head up. "Looks like the welcoming committee's here," the boy sighed, losing his one moment of solitude that he had savored. He squinted, and noticed leading the way was Judai.

"Edo, welcome back!" Judai called, running up to him.

"Judai, good to see you're back on your feet," Edo greeted. The group stalled in front of Edo.

"So, where'd you go?" Judai inquired.

Edo smirked at the boy and chuckled. "Let's just say I went to get some insurance to guarantee my victory in the Genex Tournament."

Judai grinned back at the duelist. "Oh, really?" The boy raised his duel disk slightly. "I don't think you should assume things. Assumptions lead to mistakes. We can always test your theory right here and now. Besides, it's not like you're the only one who hasn't used up all of his deck yet."

Edo laughed haughtily. "I'd rather wait to beat you over world-wide television, it'll be more humiliating."

"Maybe for you," Judai countered. The two glared at each other, though they were smirking. Judai could feel the adrenaline beginning to pump through his veins. He could hardly wait for these Finals.

"I think you're forgetting someone, boys," someone behind them said. The two whirled around, and began chuckling. "My Cyber Girls and I aren't ready to quit just yet."

"Aww, man. This is gonna be one awesome tournament!" Judai cheered.

Edo coughed. "I'd hate to interrupt, but before we turn this into a joyride, we should focus on the more serious issues," the wiser boy stated sternly.

Judai immediately ceased his cheering, and nodded. "You're right. We still got two more Society of Light members to deal with."

"Possibly only one," Asuka said. "Maybe if we eliminate Saiou first, that'll break the hold over Manjoume."

"Yeah, and we still have Ryo to deal with," Judai breathed. "He'll be a challenge especially with that new deck of his."

"Well, let's not waste anymore time here," Misawa told the group. "The Final selections will begin shortly, and I heard that after dinner, the Finals will begin with the first duels!" The group began their trek back to the Academia.

Edo, Asuka, and Judai all stepped up to the stage in the auditorium, awaiting for the Selections to begin. Judai sat near the edge of the stage, checking his deck. He picked up his head, and saw that Edo was leaning against a wall, deep in thought. He readjusted his head, and saw Asuka was blushing, while seemingly arguing with Junko and Momoe. The weird thing was, the two latter girls kept staring back at him and giggling. He passed it off as something that concerned him, but didn't need his immediate attention.

"Aniki!" Kenzan and Sho yelled, as they returned from their pit stop.

Judai raised his hand in a greeting, "Hey there, guys. You all ready for the show to start?"

"Aniki, get serious here. You will be in a duel for the fate of the world, aren't you the least bit worried?" Sho inquired.

"I know, I know. I just want you guys to stop worrying about it, between me and Edo, we'll take down those two society duelists," Judai smirked.

"We're not worried about you, we're worried about Asuka! What if she has to duel one of them before you two get to them!" Kenzan shouted. Judai's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that. Asuka was a great duelist, and Judai didn't doubt her abilities, but if she had to duel Saiou or Manjoume again, could she win? It may be better for her to quit while she was ahead.

Judai was about to respond, when the doors flew open. In stepped through Hell Kaiser. Judai leapt to his feet, and whirled around. He walked towards the stage and stepped onto it. He stopped when he reached the first duelist on the platform, Judai.

"Well, well, about time you got out of bed," the older duelist sneered.

"Yeah, just in time to take you down," Judai fired back. The two duelists glared at each other, one with hatred; the other with disappointment.

"I'd be more worried about yourself, seeing as I won't be the only one you could be facing," Ryo stated.

"Let me make something clear. If we do happen to face each other, mark my words, I will beat you."

"We'll see, but in the mean time, you should worry about your other possible opponents."

As if in response to the man's statement, Saiou and Manjoume stepped through the door. The four finalists glared at the two as the descended down to them. Manjoume returned their stares with his own glower, but Saiou just smirked. The diviner seemed more sinister than ever, as if something was up, and he knew it.

The two walked up to Judai and Kaiser. The two met their gaze evenly. "Hello, Judai-kun, Ryo-kun," Saiou greeted. He turned to Judai. "Are you ready for a tough loss tonight, Judai?"

"Sorry, but I don't plan on dropping a duel to either of you," Judai spat.

"You will speak with respect to Saiou-sama!" Manjoume demanded.

"Can it, Manjoume," Edo called, as he and Asuka walked up to the group. "Save it for the duels. You can take your anger out on your opponent." The auditorium soon filled with students, and some pros, who decided to stick around and see the end.

"Welcome, students, faculty, staff, and visitors!" Samejima announced from a microphone. "I give to you, the six survivors of the Genex Tournament! Tenjoin Asuka!" She nodded to the cheering crowd. "Edo Phoenix!" He smirked. "Hell Kaiser, Marufuji Ryo!" The pro just glared. "Yuki Judai!" He waved to the crowd. "Manjoume Jun!" The duelist known as Sanda scoffed, as everyone but a few fan-girls grew silent. "And Saiou Takuma!" Saiou just smirked evilly at the crowd.

"Now, Finalists, we will have you draw out a number," Samejima explained. "The duels from here on out will be done in an actual Tournament format. Two of you will have a 'Bye' depending on which numbers you pick. There are two numbers that are written in red in this lottery, and they will be the duelists with the 'Bye'. One of the red numbers will be an odd number, and the other will be an even number. Of the four remaining numbers, the two who selected the even numbers will face each other, as will the two who draw the other two odd numbers. Then, the winner of the odd numbered duelists will face the duelist with the red odd number, as will the even-numbered duelists. The last two duelists will face each other in a face-off to determine the winner of the Genex Tournament, and the winner of the contract to the Professional Duelist's League!"

"Now, Asuka, would you please start us off?"

Asuka nodded and walked up to the machine. One of the plastic balls that held a folded piece of paper rolled out of the machine. Asuka grabbed the capsule and opened it. She looked at the number before revealing it. "Four, Blue," she stated.

Her picture appeared on the large screen under a tournament bracket, listing her in one of the first two duels. "Edo Phoenix, your turn," Samejima stated. He walked up and drew a Red Six. He was listed on the same side as Asuka, but in the bracket that would put him in the second round right away. "Marufuji Ryo." The only other remaining pro duelist walked up to the machine and received a Red One, placing him on the other side of the bracket in the second round. "Yuki Judai."

Judai's face fell slightly. He hoped that he would be able to duel Asuka, not wanting her to fall to another Society duelist. He looked at the girl, then to the two remaining Society members.

He walked up and grabbed a Blue Five, placing him in the side of the bracket with Hell Kaiser. "Manjoume Jun." The Society duelist walked up and drew capsule, attaining a Red Three to go along with Judai's number. "Well There you have it, folks! The duels are as follows, Asuka versus Saiou and Judai versus Manjoume! We will meet in the duel arena at seven PM sharp to determine who advances!"

Asuka walked up behind Judai. "Hey, Judai, what's up?" Judai whirled around and saw the girl, smiling a bit. He turned around, immediately giving the girl the sense that something was wrong. She frowned slightly, and walked up next to Judai. "What's wrong?" she inquired.

Judai sighed. 'How do I go about asking this? I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I can't lose her again!' He gulped and breathed deeply again. He turned to her and looked into her brown eyes, and felt himself lose some of the courage he just built up.

"Asuka…I want to ask you something…" Judai began. Asuka's heart began racing, wondering what he was going to ask. Judai gulped again, feeling his heart pounding again. "Asuka…I…errr…Asuka, please, could you drop out of the tournament?"

Asuka's eyes widened in shock and disappointment. She cocked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" she asked, the annoyance in her voice noticeable.

"Asuka, I don't want to see you lose again. We don't know what will happen…"

"So in other words, you're saying you don't trust my skills," she said, her anger rising. "You don't think I can defend myself."

"No! Asuka, please, I just don't want to…"

"You just don't want your feelings to get hurt! I want to help you, Judai. You can't place the world on your shoulders. You'll end up losing that way!" She turned her back to him and began walking away

Judai stared at her. "Wait!" The girl stopped before stepping back into the building. "What if you lose?" Judai asked.

"I'm not going to lose," she said flatly.

"But, what if you do?"

Asuka kept her back to Judai. She then slowly turned around, her lips still pursed but her eyes much softer and caring than they were. "Promise me."

"Promise you what?"

"Promise, that you'll come for me," the girl told him.

Judai just gazed at her. She knew the risks, yet still wanted to help him. Still, Judai would be there for her if he needed her this time. He would make sure of that. A grin spread across his face and he nodded slightly. Asuka gave him a small smile and walked into the school.

**Bil**: Well that sucked.

**AJ**: Yeah…It served its purpose, but this is one chapter I'm definitely not too thrilled with.

**Bil**: Sucks to be you, Fool.

**AJ**: Yeah. I dunno. I think I was emotionally spent from the 'Judai's Past' thing. Oh, well. This was only filler anyway. I tried spicing things up with 'Judai and Asuka' meetings, but I don't know if the last would actually happen. I doubt Judai would actually say that to her, but meh.

**Bil**: You will lose fans with this chapter.

**AJ**: I hope not, cause they'll miss the next chapter, Chapter 30 (Whoo…the big 3-O.).


	31. Devil of Destiny

**AJ**: Welcome back for the 30th chapter of my fanfic. Thank you for all those who have been here since the beginning and all those who have joined since then…if any of you qualify for the latter.

**Bil**: Question: Would this technically be considered part three of season two?

**AJ**: I suppose…does it matter?

**Bil**: Of course, you fool. I have to keep tabs on where we are in the story!

**AJ**: …Whatever. Anyways, don't expect any fancy 'hidden meanings' behind the Arcana Force cards like they did early on in the second season, for I'm not that adept in Tarot cards…You will probably see new Arcana Force cards, as well as some Cyber Girls, however. (C'mon, seeing the same monsters constantly gets very boring, very quickly, doesn't it?)

**Bil**: You would know. Judai uses the same cards almost all the time in your fanfic, Fool.

**AJ**: Silence, you…

**Chapter 30: Devil of Destiny**

Judai entered the school's large dueling arena and hurried to join his friends at the front of the crowd for a good seat for the first duel of the Finals. He had been praying that Asuka would fight her best, and that she would be alright regardless of how the duel turned out. Judai couldn't bear watching Asuka fall again. 'No…she won't lose. Her determination will overcome any destiny Saiou will predict of her,' he assured himself.

Winged Kuriboh appeared on his shoulder and chirped his opinion of the duel. The youth turned his eyes to the side and looked at the Duel Spirit. "Yeah, looks like it'll be tough," Judai whispered. "But I think Asuka should be fine." The furry creature squeaked a reply, and returned to its card. 'Take a rest, Aibou. I'm gonna need you soon, pal,' the boy thought.

"And now, here for our first duel of the Finals, Tenjoin Asuka!" Chronos announced. Asuka walked solemnly up to the duel field as the crowd cheered their approval.

"Knock 'im dead, Sis!" Fubuki cheered.

"Take down that loser!" Momoe shouted.

"Show him what you're really made of!" Junko added.

Asuka turned her head towards her best friends and brother, before turning her gaze just to the side of them at Judai. Judai winked at her and gave her a thumbs-up, Asuka smiled, knowing that she'd have the support of her friends throughout the duel. 'I can't allow Judai to shoulder all the weight of the world. Any little help I can apply, I will,' Asuka mused.

"And now, her opponent, Saiou Takuma!" Chronos's voice echoed through the microphone. The stadium immediately quieted down, before boos rained down on the man. The fortuneteller didn't seem to mind it at all. In fact, he reveled in it.

"You can tell Saiou doesn't care of the popular opinion," Edo noted.

"People who use others for their own gain usually don't," Kenzan replied. Edo shifted uneasily in his seat, but let the comment slide. The pro didn't want to start any trouble, that is, until he and Judai had their showdown. Both had to get through their opponents first, however.

"Now, the two of you come forward so your opponent can shuffle your decks," Chronos stated. The two walked to the middle of the duel field, each looking very different from the other in attitude. Asuka walked with a purpose and a minor scowl, as if she wanted to alarm her opponent. Saiou, however, approached with a confident smirk and step, not appearing worried by his enemy. The two each shuffled the other's deck a few times, before handing them back. They both returned to their sides of the field, before inserting the decks into their duel disks. Asuka squinted, as she began to notice the eerie purple aura that existed within Manjoume when she dueled him surrounded Saiou. She gulped as she remembered the outcome of that duel, but shook her head, banishing the memory from her mind.

"Are you ready, Asuka-san?" Saiou mocked.

"Always am," Asuka retorted sternly.

"Duel!" both shouted as they drew their opening hands.

"I'll start," Saiou calmly stated, "Draw!" He took a card from his deck, and looked at it along with his hand. "I'll start out with something simple. I summon Knight of Pentacles in attack mode." A hologram of the creature's card appeared above the odd looking monster. It began rotating. "You've never seen me play these, Asuka-san, so I shall explain. The card above my monster will continue to rotate until you declare a stop. After that, the position the card it's in will determine what effect my monster will gain In this case, if it is Right-side up, It cannot be destroyed in battle; if it is upside down IT cannot attack, and when it is selected for an attack, it is automatically destroyed."

"This again," Judai growled. "This guy relies on luck all the time."

"I don't think its luck," Edo replied. "Remember, this guy does this kind of thing for a living."

Asuka watched as the card spun around and around. Finally, she commanded, "Stop!" The card slowed down, before stopping in an upright position.

"Thank you, you now have made it so my monster cannot be destroyed in battle," Saiou sneered. Asuka grimaced, realizing that luck wasn't with her on that exchange. "And don't think its luck, this is all predetermined. The duel has already been decided, whether you wish to believe it or not. It's a fact. There's no changing destiny."

"Enough, I've already tried destiny," Asuka shot. "I'd rather leave things uncertain and exciting rather than foreseen and boring."

"You'll see just how wrong you are," Saiou simply said. "Next, I'll set one card and end my turn."

"Good. Draw!" Asuka tore a card from her deck and looked at it. "I'll summon Blade Skater, in attack mode!" The purplish-blue creature appeared on the field and glided over the floor in front of Asuka. "Next I'll activate the Quick-Play spell, Allegro Tool. When a monster is Normal Summoned and I activate this card, I can destroy one Spell or Trap card on your side of the field. I'll choose that facedown of yours!" The hologram in Saiou's Magic and Trap zone glowed white before shattering. Saiou, however, remained unfazed.

"Now, I'll attack that Knight of Pentacles with my Blade Skater!" The monster sped across the field towards the Saiou's minion. The elegant skater began spinning, before sending a kick straight at the creature's chest, which then exploded. Asuka braced herself as the smoke blew into her face. 'What was that? I thought his effect made it so it couldn't be destroyed in battle…' Asuka wondered.

She lowered her arms from her face and stared across the field. When the dust settled, Blade Skater was nowhere to be seen. "Wh-what?!" she stammered. "Where's my monster?"

Saiou smirked. "I used my trap card."

"I destroyed your trap!" Asuka insisted.

"Actually, what you did was activate it. You see my trap was Mine of Sword. It can only be activated when you attack, and has two effects: if it is the upside down position, I take 500 points of damage. However, if it is upright, your attack still goes through, but then your monster is destroyed. You then take damage equal to half of your monster's original attack."

"I don't understand. It still wasn't on the field," Asuka pushed.

"Oh, right, that part. Well it has another effect, if you attack the turn on which this card was sent to the graveyard, I can activate it in the upright position. Otherwise, when you attack, it is in the opposite position. Still think everything isn't predestined?"

"Saiou played her like fiddle," Edo quietly stated. Judai just glared at the situation.

"Damn it," Fubuki breathed. "Don't worry, Sis! Don't let him faze you!"

Asuka winced. She had walked right into Saiou's hands. She looked at her hand before selecting another option. "I'll set one card and end."

"My turn, Draw!" Saiou tore his next card before looking at it. "I summon Arcana Force IV, The Emperor!" Again the monster appeared on the field, and its card appeared above it. "Same thing as before, when it is upright all monsters with Arcana Force in their names gain 500 attack points, if it is upside down. All monsters with Arcana Force lose 500 attack points. Care to try your hand again?" Saiou sneered.

Asuka watched the card spin. She waited for her instinct to tell her when she should declare the card to stop. Something clicked in her mind, and at that instant, she shouted, "Stop!"

The card's rotation slowed, and stopped in the upside down position. Asuka smirked in triumph. Saiou appeared as if he wasn't surprised, as The Emperor's attack dropped to 900. "Alright, Asuka has beaten destiny!" Junko cheered.

"You guys just don't get it," Edo muttered. "Saiou has already foreseen everything."

"But his card's upside down effect was activated!" Momoe insisted.

"Look at Saiou's face. Does he seem to be surprised or worried about the situation?" Edo stated firmly. "Besides, I hope that facedown of Asuka's can do something, or she will take a hefty amount of damage right here."

"Knight of Pentacles, attack Asuka directly!" The Knight floated across the field with its dual-bladed weapon. The creature raised its weapon, ready to attack.

"I activate my facedown Quick-Play Spell, Scapegoat!" Four sheep tokens appeared on the field. "When this card is activated, I can't summon this turn, but I can summon four Sheep Tokens to the field in defense mode."

"Both my monsters will each destroy one monster a piece," Saiou stated. Both the Knight and The Emperor eliminated a sheep. Asuka breathed a slight sigh of relief, saving her Life Points. "Finally, I'll set one card. Turn end."

Misawa sighed. "She saved herself a large decrease, but barely."

"She isn't out of the woods yet. Saiou set another card, and you can be sure it's something to hurt Asuka," Judai murmured.

"You have to have more faith, Aniki," Sho told him. Judai didn't answer, except chose to watch the duel.

"My go, Draw!" Asuka called. 'That facedown must be another Trap,' Asuka mused in her mind. She smirked. 'Luckily, my newest Cyber Girl isn't affected by those annoying cards.' She selected a card from her hand. "I summon, Cyber Biker (1600/1600)!" A woman riding a motorcycle in a black leather jacket and dark blue jeans appeared on the field. She had a red visor covering her eyes, like a mine detector. "And I know your facedown is a trap, well you're out of luck, because my card isn't affected by any Trap or Magic effects!"

Saiou just kept his face steady, not appearing surprised by any of it. Asuka felt a lump gather in her throat, which she gulped down. "Cyber Biker, attack The Emperor!" The monster sped towards the opponent.

"I activate my facedown, Reversing Destiny!" Asuka's eyes widened. "You were correct in your assumption that this card was a trap. However, this card affects my cards. It switches the position of all Arcana Force cards on the field from upside down to upright position, and vice-versa. So, instead of having 900 attack points, The Emperor now has 1900!" Cyber Biker dashed directly towards her doom, and was blasted into oblivion.

Asuka grunted as she lost 300 Life Points (Asuka's LP 3000, Saiou's LP 3600). She cursed under her breath, as she had walked straight into Saiou's trap once again. She looked at her hand, and had nothing. "Turn end," she sadly stated.

"Draw!" He looked at his new card, and an evil gleam appeared in his eye. "I'll now sacrifice The Emperor and Knight of Pentacles to summon Arcana Force XV, The Devil!" The abomination appeared on the field. Its card appeared above its head.

Edo growled. Judai looked to the side, "You know that card?"

"Yeah, it represents the evil in Saiou. And it's got one nasty effect. If that card lands right side up, every time that card destroys a monster, another one has to be destroyed. The controller of that monster receives 500 points of damage! He's never lost a duel once he's summoned this guy."

"What if it's upside down?" Sho questioned.

"It's bad, but is much less dangerous. It destroys all monsters on the field when it attacks, but seeing as Saiou already Normal Summoned, if he activates that effect, his field will be open for a direct attack," Edo explained.

The card began rotating above the creature's head. "C'mon Asuka-san, choose your destiny, even though it has already been decided."

"I'll show you. I beat it once, and I'll do it again," she mumbled under her breath. "Stop!" The card slowed, and looked like it would stop on the upside-down position. It slipped passed the upside down position, and went upright. "No!" Asuka groaned.

"Arcana Force XV, attack her left goat!" The monster slammed its abnormal fist down onto one of the goats. The force destroyed the other goat, and Asuka lost her balance and fell down from the vibrations throughout the ground. Her Life Points dropped by 500.

"I'll set one card, and leave you be for now. Still think that there is no destiny, Asuka-san?" Saiou mocked.

Judai frowned. Saiou was just toying with Asuka. Everything she did was playing right into his hands, and the diviner knew it. He just had to do something for her. But he couldn't go out and duel for her. Asuka had to make her own decisions. Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. "Of course, it's so obvious!"

"What is?" Edo asked.

"The Devil's weakness!"

"That card doesn't have a weakness," Edo restated.

"No, think about it. You said that one monster has to be destroyed whenever it attacks, correct?" Edo nodded. "Well, what happens if the only other monsters are on Saiou's side of the field? What if the only other monster on the field is The Devil?"

Edo stared at the boy, then his eyes widened. "That's it!" he shouted. But he frowned immediately. "But we have no way to tell her, and no help can be given to the duelists. Not like she'd hear us besides."

"Don't worry, Asuka is resourceful," Fubuki assured them. "She'll figure it out herself."

"She'd better, or she'll be on the losing end of this duel," Edo announced.

Asuka grimaced as she overlooked the field. She had no monsters on her field, and none in her hand. She'd need to draw something here. "Are you going to go, or have you finally realized how futile your efforts are?" Saiou ridiculed.

She snapped back to her senses and rose to her feet. "Hardly, Draw!" She looked at her new card and the field, Cyber Tutu. 'There has to be some way to destroy that card! But how? Whenever it attacks, a monster is destroyed, and the owner of the monster receives 500 points of damage.'

"I summon Cyber Tutu, in attack mode!" The small ballerina appeared on the field, standing on the field, and prepared for. "Next, I'll activate the Spell, Silent Doom. This card allows me to special summon from my graveyard a Normal Monster in defense position, and I choose Blade Skater!"

"Now I'll have my Cyber Tutu attack, and if all the monsters' attack on your field are higher than hers, she can do so directly!" Cyber Tutu glided past the giant Arcana Force monster, and swiftly kicked Saiou in the ribs. Saiou grunted slightly while his Life Points decreased to 2600, but immediately stood straight up.

"I'll set one card and leave it there," Asuka stated.

"Draw! I activate Pentacle of Ace!" The Spell card appeared on the field, and began rotating. "Same as most of my cards, the position determines its effect. If it is right-side up, I get to draw one card and gain 500 LP; upside down, and you get the card and the points."

Asuka took a deep breath and focused her attention on the card. She watched the card rotate around and around. She gulped, before finally closing her eyes, and shouting, "Stop!"

The card slowed as it rose up, before passing the upright position and stalled upside down. Asuka sighed, as she drew her card and gained her 500 points. Saiou just grinned evilly. "I still have my attack, Arcana Force XV, destroy her Cyber Tutu! And your Blade Skater is destroyed due to its effect!" Two fists flew towards Asuka's monsters. One, which was further ahead, aimed for Blade Skater, the other for Cyber Tutu.

Asuka smiled. "Now you've walked into my trap, Pure Pupil!" she pressed a button underneath her trap, flipping the card up. "I can only activate this card when I have a monster with an attack of 1000 or lower on my field when you activate the effect of a monster, the effect is negated and your monster is destroyed!" The card glowed with a bright, white light, and fired a stream of energy directly at The Devil.

"Alright, Asuka's gonna beat that thing!" Sho cheered.

"Don't count it, Saiou's already planned ahead!" Edo shouted.

"I activate my facedown Trap, Hierophant's Wand! You get to draw a card, but for the rest of the turn, my cards cannot be destroyed by card effects. You may negate The Devil's effect, but his attack still goes through!" The stream of energy pushed back the arm that was heading for Blade Skater, but the arm that was directed at Cyber Tutu struck true. Asuka stumbled back a few steps, but stayed on her feet, as her Life Points were decreased by half.

Saiou began cackling evilly. "You see Asuka-san? I know and see all! I know every move before you make it! It is already predetermined, and due to my ability to see destiny, I know exactly what will happen! I have foreseen your demise! You will fall to the power of the Light, and then you will never see your dear friends and relatives ever again!" He erupted in laughter, as a psychotic gleam in his eye appeared. Asuka stared into his frightening eyes, disturbed by the unnatural glint.

**(Asuka's Life Points 1500, Saiou's Life Points 2600)**

**AJ**: Not bad, not bad at all. It's actually kind of fun typing Saiou's cards, something I didn't expect.

**Bil**: Why are you typing fanfics if you don't like them, Idiot?

**AJ**: No, I like typing fanfics. It's just that I thought Saiou's cards and the way their effects go off would be more work than fun, but it was actually pretty amusing making the effects go like they did.

**Bil**: (Thinks: Damn it, I hoped he would stop typing this fanfic…)

**AJ**: D'you say something?

**Bil**: Not a thing.


	32. Spirited Radiance

**AJ**: Back for Chapter 31, will Asuka be able to out duel destiny?

**Bil**: Poor intro and preview.

**AJ**: Yeah, well, I try.

**Bil**: -shakes head-…Whatever…

Chapter 31: Spirited Radiance

Asuka smiled. "Now you've walked into my trap, Pure Pupil!" she pressed a button underneath her trap, flipping the card up. "I can only activate this card when I have a monster with an attack of 1000 or lower on my field when you activate the effect of a monster, the effect is negated and your monster is destroyed!" The card glowed with a bright, white light, and fired a stream of energy directly at The Devil.

"Alright, Asuka's gonna beat that thing!" Sho cheered.

"Don't count it, Saiou's already planned ahead!" Edo shouted.

"I activate my facedown Trap, Hierophant's Wand! You get to draw a card, but for the rest of the turn, my cards cannot be destroyed by card effects. You may negate The Devil's effect, but his attack still goes through!" The stream of energy pushed back the arm that was heading for Blade Skater, but the arm that was directed at Cyber Tutu struck true. Asuka stumbled back a few steps, but stayed on her feet, as her Life Points were decreased by half.

Saiou began cackling evilly. "You see Asuka-san? I know and see all! I know every move before you make it! It is already predetermined, and due to my ability to see destiny, I know exactly what will happen! I have foreseen your demise! You will fall to the power of the Light, and then you will never see your dear friends and relatives ever again!" He erupted in laughter, as a psychotic gleam in his eye appeared. Asuka stared into his frightening eyes, disturbed by the unnatural glint.

**(Asuka's LP 1500, Saiou's LP 2600)**

"Damn it," Fubuki cursed, "Saiou's just toying with Asuka's head, but Asuka's playing right into it."

Judai nodded. "Saiou knows that fortune-telling stuff messed with Asuka's head in her duel with Manjoume. That guy, he'll use anything to gain an advantage," Judai stated.

Asuka stared at the man standing opposite her. She gulped, but used all of her will to remain steadfast and firm. Saiou's laughter subsided. "Are you going to draw a card, or what?" Asuka looked at the man in confusion. "Hierophant's Wand allows you to draw one card, as I said." She weakly took a card from her deck and looked at it. "You don't have to try and hide it. Any fool can look into your eyes and see you're shaken," the man stated. "And why not, for you may be the first person to be baptized by the light twice. I wonder what effect it will have on you this time."

Asuka grimaced. She needed a good draw this turn. "Are you done, yet?" She stated, trying to sound as if she were calm, though her heart was racing.

"I suppose so," Saiou stated.

"Finally, Draw!" She took another card from her deck. "I'll set one card, and that's it."

"That's it, hmm? Fine, Draw!" Saiou took a card from his deck and added it to his hand. "I'll activate the Spell card, Reverse Reborn! This card allows me to special summon an Arcana Force monster from my graveyard to the field in attack position and equip it with this card. It, however, must be turned to the upside down position. I'll special summon Arcana Force IV The Emperor back to the field!" The monster appeared on the field, but the card above it immediately rotated once, and stopped in the upside down position.

"Because of its effect, it reduces all Arcana Force monsters attack by 500 points, but it doesn't matter. Next, I'll activate the Field Spell, The Bounds of Light! This card allows me to select which position, either upright or upside down, of all my Arcana Force monsters!"

"No way!" Asuka shouted, shocked.

"This duel's as good as over. Now Saiou doesn't need destiny to help him win, he can do it himself," Edo stated sadly.

"Finally, I'll Normal Summon Arcana Force III, The Empress, in attack mode!" The monster appeared with its card appearing above the creature. The card above the creature rotated. "And Because of The Bounds of Light, I can select which position she will be in. Care to guess which one I'll choose?" Saiou sneered. Asuka grimaced. "I'll put it in the upright position!"

The diviner licked his lips. "Lucky for you, all my monster's attack points are reduced by 500, or this duel would end here. Destroy her monster, Arcana Force XV!" The creature's fist sped towards Blade Skater. The fist slammed down onto Asuka's creature, and destroyed it. Suddenly, another fist destroyed The Emperor on Saiou's field. Saiou's Life Points were reduced by 500 points.

Asuka stared at the situation. 'Why did his own monster get destroyed…?' Asuka wondered.

She didn't have much of a chance to think it over, however, as Saiou immediately ordered, "Now, Empress, attack Asuka directly! And because The Emperor is gone, her attack points are back to 1300!" Asuka was immediately blasted in the chest by the monster's attack. "I'll end." She slowly slumped to her knees, bent over gasping for air. Her Life Points dwindled to 200. "Asuka-san, you must know you will soon be defeated, why not save yourself the humiliation?"

"Sis, get up!" Fubuki screamed.

"C'mon, Asuka, you can beat him!" Areka pleaded.

"Asuka, please!" Sho cheered. Asuka made no movement. It was almost as if she couldn't hear them.

"Its no use," Edo sighed. "She can't even stand."

"No," Judai breathed, "we gotta do something!" He saw Winged Kuriboh suddenly appear near his shoulder, and began floating away to the duel field. "Wait, buddy, where are you…?" His eyes widened as the furry creature floated towards Asuka.

Asuka took deep breaths in an attempt to get her bearings back. She could neither hear nor see anything. "Onii-san…Judai…help me…" she sobbed out loud. "I don't want to be alone again…"

Suddenly, she heard a fluttering, like wings were flapping. Then a low chirping echoed around her. She picked her head up slightly, and turned her head to the side. Her blurred vision was able to make out a brown circle heading towards her. She blinked her vision clear, and saw that it was a Winged Kuriboh. She looked around, but saw no one else. She was in a giant purplish-blue area.

"You must be Judai's Duel Spirit…Wait, what are you doing here?" Asuka inquired. The creature pointed past her and chirped. She turned her head to where the little creature pointed. She saw 3 figures standing there. Closer inspection revealed the silhouettes to be Cyber Blader, Blade Skater, and Etoile Cyber.

Asuka gasped, then noticed there was someone standing among them. She squinted, and saw her brother and her friends standing there. Asuka looked at Winged Kuriboh, before gazing back at the figures. "We will stand by you, Asuka-kun. You are never alone," the three Cyber-based Girls stated.

She nodded and smiled softly at the three. "Asuka," Judai said, "The Devil does have one weakness."

"But…what is that weakness?" Asuka inquired.

Judai shook his head. "Your dueling spirit won't allow me to tell you. Just remember, Saiou, and The Devil, need Followers."

Asuka looked at the boy, and smiled. "You're right, I must figure it out myself." She opened her eyes, and saw that she was back in the School's Duel Arena, with the students chanting her name. She looked around, and remembered; she was dueling Saiou.

Winged Kuriboh flew over to Judai's shoulder. "Good job, pal, it looks like you got through to her!" The small creature squealed its glee and approval.

She looked across her field, and saw Saiou, who was slightly amused. "So, it appears that you will not forfeit" Saiou observed. "Fine by me, as I will just push you down the path towards the Light."

She shook her head. "I'm not quitting and I'm not losing. I will defeat you, Saiou Takuma!" she stated firmly. 'But first, I need to eliminate that Arcana Force monster. Judai said, 'Saiou, and The Devil, need Followers', but what does that mean?'

"I'm waiting for your move, Asuka-san," Saiou mocked.

'The Devil…wait a minute…Saiou's last move! That's it! The Devil's effect doesn't say, 'you may' it says 'you must'! He has to destroy a monster! That is why Saiou summoned The Emperor last turn, even though its effect would hurt his monsters; he needed a sacrifice! I've got it!'

Asuka smiled. "I've figured out just how I will defeat that thing," Asuka stated.

"Excuse me?" Saiou muttered. "You will defeat The Devil? No one has ever beaten this creature once it has been summoned."

"We'll see, Draw!" Asuka tore a card from her deck and played it. "I'll activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards. Now, I activate The Warrior Returning Alive! This card allows me to add a Warrior-type monster to my hand from the graveyard. I'll take Blade Skater!"

"Now I activate Polymerization! I can send Fusion-Material monsters to the Graveyard and Special Summon a monster from my Fusion Deck! I'll fuse Blade Skater and Etoile Cyber to create, Cyber Blader!" The elegant skater glided swiftly across the ground and stopped in front of Asuka.

"Now, Cyber Blader's effect activates! Because you have two monsters on your field, her attack points are doubled!" Asuka waited for Cyber Blader's attack to increase.

"Sorry, but nothing will be increasing this turn," Saiou informed her. "You see, The Bounds of Light negates the effects of all Effect Monsters if they do not have Arcana Force in their name."

Asuka smiled. "That's ok, because I have a back-up plan. Cyber Blader! Attack The Empress!" Cyber Blader sped gracefully across the field towards its target. Asuka's creature twirled in a circle, before sending a kick at The Empress. The creature exploded, and Saiou was docked 800 Life Points to 1300.

Saiou immediately began cackling evilly. "Ahh, Asuka-san, I can understand why the Light had selected you to be represented by The Sun. You can achieve great things, if you'd only learn to bow to the Light."

"I told you, I'm not ever going back to your group!"

"I hope that you're not serious about that, just because you're winning, because I will defeat you very shortly."

"I doubt that," Asuka smirked. "I'll set a card. Turn end."

"Fine, Draw!" Saiou looked at his card. "Alright, This duel will now end! Arcana Force XV, attack Cyber Blader!" A fist flew out from The Devil, aimed at Cyber Blader. The fist crashed into the creature, destroying it. "Now, your Life Points will go down to zero!"

Asuka smirked. "Not this time, I activate Hallowed Life Barrier!"

Saiou's eyes widened in surprise. 'I didn't foresee this...' he mused, before smirking in amusement.

"By discarding one card from my hand, I can reduce the damage from your attack to zero. So I'll toss out Cyber Angel Benten, and your attack does no damage. Plus, your monsters effect still occurs. Because you must destroy one monster on the field, and the only monster on your field left is The Devil. You also lose 500 Life Points!"

Sure enough, Saiou's monster exploded; the force of which deducting 500 more Life Points from Saiou. The diviner raised his arms to his head to brace himself from the damage. (Asuka 200, Saiou 800)

"Alright! Asuka's back in this duel!" Momoe cheered.

"Finish him off, Asuka!" Junko called.

Asuka looked over at the group, specifically at Judai. She smiled warmly at the group.

"I have to admit," Edo mentioned, "I didn't think she would put up this much of a fight. She's regained her fighting spirit, despite being shaken by her opponent's tactics."

Judai nodded. "Now let's see if she can finish this up."

"Don't count on it," a voice stated flatly.

Judai whirled around and glared at the owner of the voice. He glared darkly at the boy dressed in the Society of Light's banner.

"Manjoume," Judai curtly nodded.

"Sanda," Manjoume corrected. "Do you honestly believe Saiou-sama will not win this duel? Look, Saiou still has The Bounds of Light out on the field. All of Tenjoin-kun's monsters still can't activate their effects, leaving her with a pile of Normal-based Ritual and Fusion monsters.

"You're giving your leader too much credit," Judai shot. "Asuka is a much better duelist than he is."

"She couldn't even defeat me, you think she can beat him?"

"That win was a fluke, and I'm going to prove it when you lose to me after this duel."

"Don't count on it," Judai's rival stated simply. "I have given up far too much and have trained far too long to lose to you. You have no chance against me."

"You say that before all of our duels. Wanna make a bet that this result will be the same as all the others?"

"Try me."

"Turn end," Saiou simply stated.

"Draw! I'll activate my facedown, Call of the Haunted! I select one monster from my graveyard, and then I can special summon that monster back to the field! Cyber Blader, come on back!" The graceful skater reappeared on the field, prepared to finish off Saiou.

"Saiou's field is clear from everything except his Field Spell!" Sho stated.

"Asuka-sempai is going to win this duel!" Kenzan cheered.

"Go for it, Sis!" Fubuki pushed.

Asuka looked at the group and nodded. She turned back to the duel, and smirked at Saiou across the field. "Cyber Blader, attack him directly. End this duel now!" The creature glided with a tremendous swiftness and grace directly at its opponent. Asuka smiled. "Sayonara, Saiou. This is payback for what you've done to me and my friends!"

**(Asuka's Life Points 200, Saiou's Life Points 800)**

**AJ**: Ohhh…cliffhanger! I plan on finishing this duel, hopefully, later today. But I'm not going to rush it, so we'll see what happens.

**Bil**: Oh, come on, quit torturing your fans.

**AJ**: Learned it from you.

**Bil**:What else do you have to do today?

**AJ**: Well, right now I'm gonna take a nap, because I only got 4 ½ hours of sleep. Later, I have to remember the "Tomorrow" speech from Shakespeare's Mac-daddy-beth for English class, ironically, tomorrow. But I'll probably do that before I go to bed, so I might type up a chapter, but as I said before, I'm not rushing any chapters, so there.

**Bil**: Brat.

**AJ**: Geezer.

**Bil**: Moron.

AJ: Old Fart. (Argument continues on with 5th-Grade-and-lower name-calling) 


	33. Baptism

**AJ**: Reject.

**Bil**: Buffoon.

**AJ**: Decrepit.

**Bil**: Idiot.

**AJ**: …Dagomn, I've run out of insults…

**Bil**: Ha, you loser.

**AJ**: Oh, well…I guess I'll start this chapter.

**Bil**: Good, hurry up and finish this duel.

**AJ**: Yes, Master…e.e I realize I messed with The Bounds of Light's effect a little bit. It is supposed to rotate every one of Saiou's Standby Phases, but I think this makes it more interesting.

**Bil**: Translation, folks? He forgot that it was supposed to do that, and he came up with a poor excuse to cover his ass.

**AJ**: Very well put…

Chapter 32: Baptism 

"Draw! I'll activate my facedown, Call of the Haunted! I select one monster from my graveyard, and then I can special summon that monster back to the field! Cyber Blader, come on back!" The graceful skater reappeared on the field, prepared to finish off Saiou.

"Saiou's field is clear from everything except his Field Spell!" Sho stated.

"Asuka-sempai is going to win this duel!" Kenzan cheered.

"Go for it, Sis!" Fubuki pushed.

Asuka looked at the group and nodded. She turned back to the duel, and smirked at Saiou across the field. "Cyber Blader, attack him directly. End this duel now!" The creature glided with a tremendous swiftness and grace directly at its opponent. Asuka smiled. "Sayonara, Saiou. This is payback for what you've done to me and my friends!"

**(Asuka's LP 200, Saiou's LP 800)**

"You're through, Saiou! Finish him off, Cyber Blader! Whirlwind Rage!" Asuka commanded vehemently. The creature sped towards the Obelisk's opponent twirling elegantly and preparing for its attack.

"Sorry, but I'm going to be sticking around! I activate the effect of Arcana Force XIV, Temperance!" Saiou shouted. "By discarding this card from my hand, I reduce the damage of one of your attacks to zero!"

Asuka grimaced. She had been so close, and yet so far. Cyber Blader directed a kick at Saiou, only to be blocked by Temperance.

"She was so close!" Momoe groaned.

"Of all the cards in his deck, how does Saiou manage to draw one that he can activate from his hand? What are the odds?" Junko complained.

"It's destiny," Manjoume stated firmly. "Tenjoin-kun is destined to lose this duel, just as this world is destined to see the Light!"

"Shut your trap!" Judai ordered.

"Why? You refuse to see the truth!? You refuse to listen to the facts of life!? I, Manjoume-Sanda, have had enough of you people disrespecting Saiou-sama! I will make sure you all will see the folly of your…" The boy couldn't finish his sentence, as Fubuki, who had been listening in on the conversation launched a fist at Manjoume's face. Manjoume was knocked to his back, and laid on the steps, writhing in pain and holding onto his face.

"I'm tired of listening to your incessant rambling, Manjoume," Fubuki stated slowly, yet angrily. "I can't believe I ever wanted you as a suitor to my sister. Speak again, and you won't make it to your duel with Judai."

"Fubuki, leave him be. Let's watch the rest of Asuka's duel. She'll need your support to beat that fiend," Edo informed him. Fubuki nodded and sat back down to watch his sister, hopefully, claim victory.

"Asuka-san," Saiou began. "I must admit I never expected you to do so well. I thought that my fortune telling would have left you shattered, as in your last duel with Manjoume."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I've come a long way since that duel," Asuka told him.

"Disappoint? No, I'm glad you're struggling," Saiou said, sadistically licking his lips. "It will make this victory all the more helpful to me in the long run." He turned his sight to the side and over to Judai, and gleefully stared at the boy.

Asuka followed his line of sight over to the group, and realized he was looking at Judai. She fiercely turned back to her opponent. "You will not harm Judai any more! He has fought long and hard to defeat you, and now I'm finally going to help him out, instead of hurting him."

"Oh?" Saiou gained an interested glint in his eye. "And how can you be sure that he believes that?"

"Excuse me?" Asuka flared.

"You know all the things you have done to him, yet you honestly believe he will completely forgive you for your torment of him?"

"He knows that was all your doing, which it was!"

"Oh really? All I did was push you in the direction of fulfilling your desires. You wanted to be an undefeatable duelist, and I made you that. Did you ever once lose a duel while you were under the Society's banner?"

Asuka winced. "You went too far! I never wished to sacrifice my friends to achieve that goal," Asuka insisted.

"You believe that now, but once this duel ends, I'm sure you will change your mind. Finish your turn."

"I'll set one card and end it," Asuka stated, though she seemed somewhat shaken.

Judai couldn't hear what they had talked about, but it was obvious to him that it had some effect on the girl. He couldn't bear seeing any friend, especially his secret crush, in any type of pain. "Asuka, don't listen to him! He's just trying to mess with your head!" he cried, trying to cheer her on.

Asuka made no response, as if she couldn't hear him.

"My turn, Draw!" Saiou looked at his card and smirked. "I'll activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards. Next, I'll activate Cup of Ace." The magic card's hologram appeared on the field and began rotating, slowly accelerating.

"Not this again," Asuka muttered under her breath.

"If this card is in the upright position, I get to draw two cards. If it is upside down, you draw two cards," Saiou explained. "It's your call, Asuka-san. We shall see if your insistence will hold true. Destiny shall tell us."

Asuka watched the card rotate around and around. She gulped, unsure of the situation, and herself. She shook her head. 'I have to be confident! He'll sense any type of uncertainty and use it to his advantage.' She took a deep breath and calmed herself. "Stop!" she finally shouted.

The card decelerated to a slow spin, finally stopping. It was upright. "Thank you, Asuka-san," Saiou mocked at the girl's scorning face. He drew two more cards. I'll summon Arcana Force VI, The Lovers in defense mode. By the effect of The Bounds of Light, I select which effect it will have. I will place it in the upright position. Now If I use this monster to sacrifice for an Arcana Force monster, it can count as two monsters instead of one. Then I shall set a card and end my turn."

"Fine, Draw! I summon Cyber Gymnast in attack mode! Cyber Blader, attack his monster!" The creature sped towards its opponent, preparing to destroy the creature.

"Hold it, I activate my facedown, Ace of Wand." The Trap card flipped up and began to rotate. Asuka frowned, annoyed by Saiou's continuous use of cards relying on luck. "If this card lands right-side up, then whenever a monster gets destroyed, the controller of the monster gains Life Points equal to the monster's attack points. If it's upside down, the owner takes damage equal to the monster's attack. Of course, we all know what position it will be in after you tell it to stop."

Asuka glared at the opposing duelist, then at the card. She watched the card spin in a circle, and yelled, "Stop!" The card once again stalled in a position to help Saiou, upright. Asuka groaned, as Cyber Blader kicked the monster, and destroyed it in an explosion. Saiou's Life Points increased to 2400 in the explosion.

"Wonderful," Asuka sighed. "Cyber Gymnast, attack him directly!" The cyber-based female charged toward Saiou, before leaping into the air, and doing an acrobatic flip. She then dove at Saiou, flipping and slamming her foot down onto the soothsayer. Saiou lost 800 Life Points down to 1600. "I'll end my turn."

"Good, Draw!" Saiou looked at his card, and card and displayed it for the world to see. "I activate the Spell, Graceful Charity! I draw 3 cards, then toss two from my hand." He drew two cards. "Asuka-san, the duel has now come to an end."

"Yeah, right," the girl stated. "If you're so sure about that, why not continue your turn, instead of interrupting yourself all the time?"

"Because, I am trying to make you see reason, which is obviously something you humans as a whole fail to see."

"You…humans…?" The girl stared at the duelist as if there was something on his face. "But, you're human too, aren't you?"

Saiou ignored the question. "I will show you that even your monsters aren't immune to destiny," the man told her. "As destiny has chosen me to lead this world into the Light! I will begin by sending you ahead of everyone to meet the Light! All will kneel before it, or perish!" The man began laughing madly at his speech.

Asuka gazed at the man in disbelief. "You have lost your mind, haven't you?"

"You shall see. You…your brother…your friends…you shall _all_ see that I am The Truth, The Way, and The Light! I shall bring this world to its knees, and you will all belong to the Light!"

"You-you're not serious!" Asuka shouted vehemently.

"Deadly serious, Asuka-san, as you will now see! I'll send Arcana Forces I and VIII, The Magician and The Strength, to the graveyard! Next, I activate Necro Sacrifice! By sending up to two monsters to your side of the field from my graveyard, I can summon a monster from my hand as if I were Tribute Summoning it. So I'll give you The Strength and The Magician, and I will summon Arcana Force XXI, The World! You choose their Battle Positions."

"I'll place the two defense mode," Asuka stated. She knew that he'd only give her monsters if it benefited him. All three monsters had their cards appear over their heads. The Magician's card began to spin. "Wait, don't I choose its position?"

"The Bound of Light only works for Arcana Force monsters on my side of the field. Stop!" The Magician's card landed upright. "Now, every time a Spell is activated, The Magician's attack is doubled." The Strength's card began to spin. "Stop!" Saiou commanded. The card slowed to a stop in an upside down position. All the monsters on Asuka's field began to glow with a white light.

"Wh-what's going on?" Asuka demanded to know from her opponent.

"The Strength's effect, when it lands in an upside down position, all monsters on the controller's field are immediately transported to the opponent's side of the field."

"No way!" Asuka screamed. All her monsters immediately teleported to Saiou's field. "My Blader! Cyber Gymnast!"

"I'm not through yet, Asuka-san. The World still has his position to be decided. Now, which way shall I put it?" Asuka's brow furrowed at sneer. "I know, I'll set it upright!" The World's card rotated once, before settling upright.

"Now, I'll attack The Strength with The World!" The giant creature charged up a laser, and sent the attack directly at The Strength. The laser inched closer to the monster.

"Trap Card open, Waboku!" Asuka stated. "For the rest of this turn, my monster can't be destroyed, and I take no damage."

"This turn, maybe, but what about next turn?"

"I'll make a comeback on my next turn," Asuka confidently stated.

"I meant, my next turn. You see, The World's effect goes like this, when it is upright, I can sacrifice two monsters on my field to skip your turn!"

"No!" Asuka screamed.

"Yes! And now, I shall sacrifice The Magician and Cyber Gymnast, to advance to my turn again. Now, Cyber Blader, destroy The Strength!" The graceful skater glided across the ground and landed a kick onto Asuka's monster.

"No! Asuka's wide open for an attack!" Misawa stated.

"It's over," Edo whispered.

"No, it can't be!" Fubuki shouted.

"ASUKA!" Judai cried.

"Arcana Force XXI, attack Asuka directly! End this duel!" The monster's laser hit the ground a few feet away and inched toward the girl. She glared at the light as it neared her. The laser sliced through Asuka's side of the field.

She screamed out in pain, as the laser annihilated the rest of Asuka's Life Points. She dropped to her knees, and lifted her head to glare at the seer. What she saw, however, was a man with an unnatural sadistic look in his eyes. Something transparent began to grow out of the back of the man.

Asuka squinted to see what it was. It had two large evil red eyes, and an equally evil red mouth. The…whatever it was…bore down on Asuka, who felt her knees begin to quiver. She felt extremely cold, down to the bone. She looked around for someone to help her, but no one was around; only a bright white light.

"Where is everyone?!" She called.

"Where you are going, you will know only the Light," an evil unearthly voice informed her. "You will not ever see anyone else ever again! Forget about your friends, as they will forget about you. Tenjoin Asuka, I now give unto you, the first true baptism of the Light!"

Asuka quivered in fear from the voice, Saiou, and the unnatural being existing in the diviner. "Someone…anyone…help me!" she pleaded.

The figure, which was now at least ten times taller than Saiou, charged up a brilliant white ball of energy. The ball of energy grew to an enormous size, before a stream of energy was sent out directly at Asuka.

Asuka watched in terror as the burst of energy neared her body, she could feel herself become more and more chilled from the purplish-white light. The feeling in her legs gave way, not allowing her to run anywhere. She found herself unable to breath, as the blast finally hit her body, and then she knew no more.

Judai watched as Asuka had stood stiffly from the attack. "What's going on? Why isn't she moving?" he inquired.

"Sis, are you ok!?" Fubuki desperately called, asking for a sign to tell him she was ok. Asuka's eyes opened, revealing that she only had a small pupil in each eye, surrounded by large white eyes. She slowly dropped to her knees, and then to the ground, with the unnerving look in her eye directed at the group.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**AJ**: Sorry, I couldn't get the chapter uploaded last night. It was one of those "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong" dealies, where my Internet died right before I could put up the chapter. It was complete; I just couldn't put it up till now. Again, sorry that I couldn't fulfill my wish to put the chapter up last night, but my computer was being ass-like.

**Bil**: Quit your blubbering, whining maggot.


	34. Silent Rage

**AJ**: Ok, so, is annoying me, there's only one thing to do…

**Bil**: Live the Life of Reilly?

**AJ**: No! Type up a new chapter so when it starts working again, I can put up more parts to the story!

**Bil**: Why not take a break, you fool?

**AJ**: Sorry, I can't hear you over the keyboard!

**Bil**: Idiot.

**Chapter 33: Silent Rage**

Asuka watched in terror as the burst of energy neared her body, she could feel herself become more and more chilled from the purplish-white light. The feeling in her legs gave way, not allowing her to run anywhere. She found herself unable to breath, as the blast finally hit her body, and then she knew no more.

Judai watched as Asuka had stood stiffly from the attack. "What's going on? Why isn't she moving?" he inquired.

"Sis, are you ok!?" Fubuki desperately called, asking for a sign to tell him she was ok. Asuka's eyes opened, revealing that she only had a small pupil in each eye, surrounded by large white eyes. She slowly dropped to her knees, and then to the ground, with the unnerving look in her eye directed at the group.

Judai and Fubuki were the first to react, leaping over the barricade. In one step, the boys leapt up onto the duel field and ran to the limp form of Asuka. They skidded to a halt in front of the girl.

"Sis!" Fubuki screamed. "Sis! Sis, answer me!" The rest of the group, as well as Samejima, Chronos, Napoleon, and Ayukawa, approached the three. Fubuki held his sister in his arms and shook his sister lightly, trying desperately to get some sign of life, but there was none. "No! Asuka, give me a sign here!"

Judai slowly walked up to the two, and lightly pressed his index and ring finger on the girl's Adam's apple. He followed the trail to the side of the girl's head underneath her cheek, and waited a moment. "Please, calm down, Fubuki. She's ok," Judai quietly stated. "She's just unconscious."

"We need to get her medical attention immediately," Edo stated as he walked up behind them. "She's appears to be in a state of Shock, as well." The pro turned his gaze over to Saiou, and glared at the man. 'You have gone too far this time, Saiou. There was no need to do whatever you have just done to Asuka.'

Ayukawa called over a stretcher. Misawa, Kenzan, Edo, and Fubuki all helped place Asuka, whose breathing became increasingly shallow and rapid, onto the back support. They tied the straps into place, and then lifted the medical item onto the stretcher. They began to hurry out of the arena as quickly as possible, without knocking over the stretcher. Judai slowly followed behind them.

Manjoume, however, had enough of the scene. "Yuki Judai!" The duelist called from the duel field. Judai stopped at the door leading out of the school's duel arena. "You leave your woman in the care of your friends! I have awaited a long time for this duel, and I will have it! I will have your head on a silver platter!"

Judai didn't turn around. "I'm not dueling you, Manjoume," the boy inaudibly muttered under his breath. "Asuka is in trouble, and I must take care of her." His voice was extremely quiet, but it was shaking in rage; rage at Saiou, who had done this to the person he cared about most, and at Manjoume, who seemed more worried about dueling Judai than one of his friends who was in a critical condition.

Manjoume didn't hear the boy's response. He became very annoyed at the boy's lack of respect, and shouted even higher. "YUKI JUDAI! TURN AROUND WHEN YOU SPEAK TO ME! I AM THE SECOND-IN-COMMAND OF THE ASSOCIATION OF LIGHT! I HAVE FOLLOWED SAIOU-SAMA BEFORE YOU AND AFTER YOU ALL FOLLOWED HIS COMMAND! I AM MANJOUME-HOWAITO SANDA! YOU WILL GIVE ME THE RESPECT I DESERVE AS THE OWNER OF THAT TITLE!"

Judai finally turned his head in a direction where Manjoume could see it. He flashed an enraged glare directly at the opponent. Manjoume glowered back, but couldn't find the intensity to match Judai's visage. Judai slowly turned around so his entire face, which was contorted in a piercing glare, would send a message to the opposing duelist.

Manjoume found himself unable to move from the man's gaze. He felt a cold sweat drip slowly down the back of his neck. The duelist gulped, and felt his breath get stripped from his chest, as if Judai was absorbing it from Manjoume's body.

"I'm going to make sure Asuka is going to be ok." Judai spoke slowly, loudly, clearly, firmly, and harshly to get his point across. "You wait here for my return. I will be back shortly."

Manjoume desired to press further, but he couldn't find his voice. He did the only thing his throat would allow to exit his mouth, a growl in annoyance and disappointment that he could be so easily intimidated. Judai turned around and exited the arena, soon jogging to catch up to his friends.

Manjoume dropped to one knee and slammed his fist to the ground. "Damn it!" he cursed. "How am I supposed to defeat my greatest adversary, if I can't even turn down his godforsaken gaze! I'm such a disgrace!"

Saiou watched the whole spectacle take place. He smirked madly at the duelist bent on his knees. 'His body may not be willing, but his spirit is definitely there. I have much use for you yet, Manjoume-Sanda.' The diviner walked up to the man dressed in white and bent down to him. "Sanda, come with me. We have to discuss your strategy for the upcoming duel."

"How can you still respect me, Saiou-sama?" the boy asked, raising his head to look at his master. "I am a failure."

"Sanda, you have been the leader of the Society of Light, ever since its inception. I have need of a man with your heart and strength. Come, together we will eliminate Yuki Judai, and then, you will finally have your victory you have long sought for and deserved!"

The man's eyes began glowing a purple light, which reflected off of Manjoume's pupils. Manjoume stared at the Leader of the Light's gaze, and soon lost himself. The boy stood up, and nodded. "Lead the way, Saiou-sama." The two walked out of the arena.

Judai had finally caught up to his friends in the infirmary. He still felt angry, however, and kept his gaze away from his friends so they wouldn't notice. It became extremely difficult the more the Osiris duelist went over Manjoume's words and Asuka's fall in his head. Seeing Asuka with an oxygen machine placed over her mouth, and the several doctors around her trying to calm her down and bring her out of her state of Shock didn't help matters, either.

Fubuki sat in a chair, his hands clasped together in front of his face; his sister's hand within his own. Judai couldn't tell if the man was praying, but there was no doubt that he looked extremely stressed out. Momoe and Junko were holding onto each other, crying their eyes out. Sho, Kenzan, Misawa, and Areka all stood there, staring at the girl with anxious looks on their faces.

Judai lowered his head in sadness and anger, before walking up to Ayukawa. "Ayukawa-sensei, how is she?" the boy inquired.

"She has gone into a state of Shock for an unknown reason, and although we've tried, we haven't been able to pull her out of it," the doctor explained over her shoulder. "We have managed to slow it down, but if we don't get her back to normal, she may die from lack of oxygen to her organs."

"You mean…she'll die of suffocation?" Judai asked with his eyes widening.

Ayukawa turned and nodded sadly. Judai lowered his head and clenched his fists tightly. He felt an anger that was all too familiar rise within him, but he couldn't control himself. "Don't worry too much over Asuka-san," Ayukawa informed the lad. "She is a strong girl. She won't die, believe me."

Her words went over deaf ears, as his blood had risen to his ears, blocking out all sound. He couldn't let Asuka die. She had been there for him since he had been at Duel Academia. He knew what he had to do.

Judai whirled around and grabbed his duel disk. He placed it over his arm and began walking out the door. "Aniki, wait!" Sho called after him. Judai stopped in the doorway. "Where are you going?"

"I have an appointment to keep, Sho," Judai replied quietly, hoping to hide his fury from the boy. He didn't desire to hurt his friends any more than they already were.

"Aniki, if you're going to duel Manjoume-sempai, let us go with you!" Kenzan told him. "I want to help bring him back, even if I have to knock some sense back into that idiot."

"You guys stay here and support Asuka. She needs you more than I do right now," Judai told the two in a conversation-ending tone.

Areka persisted, however, saying, "But you'll need us to cheer for you, too! He's given Asuka and Misawa new deadly cards, you can bet that he's given his best to Manjoume!"

Judai shook his head, slowly feeling his control over his anger slipping farther and farther out of his reach. 'Leave me alone guys. I'm not in the mood for this…' the boy thought.

"Asuka would want us to go and cheer for…" Misawa began.

"**_NO_**!" Judai finally shouted, his head turning slightly in their direction, revealing the enraged glint in his eye. Everyone in the room froze, staring at the frightening look in the Hero-user's eye. Judai softened his gaze slightly, and aimed his eyes away from his friends. "Sorry, but I have to do this alone. Like I said, Asuka needs you now, a lot more than I do."

He walked out of the silent room, silently closing the door behind him. He walked past Edo, who was leaning against a wall. "You sure you wouldn't rather put this duel off till tomorrow? I'm sure that principal of yours wouldn't refuse to do so," Edo told him.

"I'm sure he wouldn't, but if I give Saiou and Manjoume any more time to prepare, it will only make this duel harder."

"Confident you'll win, aren't you?" Edo sneered slightly. Judai turned his harsh gaze at the duelist, who met his gaze, though uneasily. "That isn't a look you better get too attached to, unless you wish to push all your friends away from you, permanently."

Judai lowered his gaze and turned forward. "I'll protect them anyway I can, even if I have to do so from afar."

Edo shook his head. "That doesn't work. I tried that with both Saiou and my foster father, DD. You know what ended up happening? They both became controlled by that 'Light of Ruin' thing, and now DD's dead."

"I will do whatever it takes to protect my friends. I suggest you do whatever you can to get Saiou back to normal while you have time, as if he meets me, I will not hold back."

"Do you really think that your brother would want you to be like this?" Judai looked at the pro with a surprised look on his face. "I noticed that you had a change in you the moment I stepped off that boat and saw you. I asked Misawa and Asuka what had happened while I was gone. I can tell you from what I heard, that your brother wanted you to defeat Saiou, but, if I recall the story, his last wish was to not do so as you were in the DDL."

"I don't think he took into account how far Saiou and Manjoume would go to reach their goal," Judai stated flatly. The boy turned around and walked with a purpose to the duel arena.

"So then, you're going to duel out of revenge then, huh?" Edo stated, his voice rising with anger in his voice. "So basically you're telling me everything you told me in our duels against each other was a giant lie, is that it?" Judai didn't turn answer or even turn around, just marched away, leaving an extremely annoyed Edo standing in the hallway. "Judai, you're making a huge mistake."

Manjoume sauntered past a few Obelisk duelists, who backed away from the boy. The Society of Light duelist carried a duel disk, complete with a deck within the deck slot. His hand was in his pocket in a defiant fashion. The boy had an evil smirk on his face, and his eyes appeared to burn with an unearthly fire.

'Judai, I now have to power and the spirit to stand up to your pathetic little 'Reviled Demon' stare and your deck. This duel will be different from all the others. I have waited a long time for this day, the day when you finally fall to Manjoume-Sanda!' He began to chuckle evilly.

The White duelist stepped up the steps onto his side of the duel field, and awaited for the arrival of his opponent. 'Come, Judai. The time for our destined has finally arrived!'

The doors on the opposite side of the duel field burst open, revealing Judai, whose pace was slow yet firm. The Osiris duelist's head was lowered, so his eyes couldn't be revealed. Manjoume let a greedy grin grow on his face.

"Well, look what the cat finally dragged in," Manjoume taunted from across the duel field. Judai made no motion to respond to the provocation, instead just intent on moving up the steps and taking his place on platform.

"What's the matter, Judai? What's happened to your arrogant attitude? No sly comebacks? No witty retorts?" Manjoume continued to mock. Again, Judai didn't make an attempt to reply. Manjoume, however, pressed forward. "Is it because you realize without me even pressing that you will lose to me? Is it because you know failed in you attempt to protect those around you? Or is it because your woman is still unconscious?"

Judai's eyes flashed at the last. Manjoume, however, met the man's gaze. 'I won't fall to your intimidation this time, Judai.' The Society of Light member licked his lips. "You hate me, don't you Judai? That's good, I want you to hate me, loathe me! I want to face you at you best, Yuki Judai. No, Richter Davis! Because with my rejuvenated strength, I will finally annihilate you! And I'll only get pleasure from doing so if I destroy you when you are at the top of your dueling game!"

Manjoume glared at the man he considered a rival since seeing him almost two years ago. "In your hands, I have suffered defeat and humiliation. Time and again, you have come forth from defeat and managed to destroy me. I want to savor this moment. Yuki Judai! Get ready to be eliminated!"

Judai scowled at the duelist in silence. He finally took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Is that all you have to say?" the boy asked, his voice dark and coarse. Manjoume's brow furrowed. "And what will happen to your friends? What about Asuka?"

"She was," Manjoume quietly stated, "a necessary loss."

"You would throw away the love of your life, your friends, your self-respect, just to gain some power to defeat someone?" Judai spat. "I always had respect for you, since I dueled you at the School Duel, because you had a pressure on top of you that I knew no one else had. Yet somehow you always managed to stand up and fight again. Ever since then, I have gained more and more respect for you, because you had finally brushed off that feeling, and have soared higher than anyone I have known. But now, all you see is your desire for victory. You…I have no more respect for you in that uniform."

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND YET, YOU FOOL!?" Manjoume shot. "I HAVE THROWN AWAY ALL PLEASURES, MY FRIENDS, MY FAMILY, MY PLACE AT THE SCHOOL….EVERYTHING, JUST FOR THIS ONE CHANCE, THIS ONE MOMENT, WHERE I CAN EXPERIENCE THE SWEET TASTE OF VICTORY THAT YOU ALWAYS MANAGE TO STEAL AWAY! I EVEN THREW AWAY MY LOVE FOR TENJOIN-KUN AND WHAT LITTLE RESPECT I HAD IN THIS SCHOOL! I DON'T WANT RESPECT! I WANT VICTORY! I WANT TO DEFEAT YOU, THE MAN I HAD ALWAYS SEEN AS MY GREATEST ENEMY! AND NOTHING WILL TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME, I HAVE GIVEN UP FAR TOO MUCH TO LOSE NOW!"

"Then I shall just have to beat some sense in to that skull of yours," Judai stated, sliding his deck into his duel disk. The two activated their duel disks.

"**DUEL!"**

**AJ**: Man, Manjoume's got issues.

**Bil**: I agree…very obsessive.

**AJ**: So, come back for Chapter 34, and the start of the duel between Manjoume and Judai. Maybe we'll learn a little more of what happened to Asuka, too.

**Bil**: Advertising guru, aren't you, Moron?

**AJ**: Indeed.


	35. Well Enough Alone

**AJ**: So, I have finally planned out my duel, only thing left is to complete it.

**Bil**: Meaning you'll have it done by tonight, right?

**AJ**: Are you nuts? It's the longest one-on-one duel I have ever planned out, number of turn-wise.

**Bil**: You're so pathetic and hopeless.

**AJ**: Thank you.

Chapter 34: Well Enough Alone 

'There he is,' Asuka thought. 'In the distance, Judai!' She began to run through the blackness towards the boy, who was staring down a dragon. The dragon looked like Armed Dragon LV 10, only instead of its normal colors, it was completely covered in white.

"Judai, are you ok!?" Asuka cried. She ran up closer to the scene, coming from one of the sides, but she froze when she saw Judai's face. He didn't look angry, as she first thought, but extremely dark and cold, like when he dueled Jaycen. She regained the feeling in her body, and tried to move, but her legs wouldn't budge. She looked at the duel, and heard a familiar voice. "Armed Dragon, Direct Attack! Kill Judai!" shouted a psychotic-looking Manjoume.

'Judai, get out of the way!!!' Asuka desperately tried to call. No words came out of her mouth however.

The dragon raised its right hand, and powered up a charged ball of gravity-like energy within it. The dragon then launched the ball directly at the boy. Judai stood fearlessly, but the energy ball still struck true. Smoke covered the entire field. When the smoke finally cleared, Judai wasn't there, instead, in his place, was a woman who looked familiar.

The woman was Asuka herself. This one, however, was dressed in white. She turned and glared evilly at the girl. Asuka felt her body freeze from the inside out, and she slowly slipped into unconsciousness again from lack of breath

Asuka slowly opened her eyes. Her head throbbed horribly, but for some reason she couldn't move her arms to massage it. She realized almost immediately that she was surrounded by endless white. At first the Obelisk girl though that she was staring at a light, and her vision was blurry, but when she blinked her eyes to clear it of any excess tears, the white background stayed.

Asuka tried desperately to move, but her entire body felt like lead. She heard someone chuckling evilly. She moved her head to see who the person was "You're…!" Asuka gasped.

The girl faced her. "I'm what, you? Of course, I am."

"No!" Asuka insisted. "You're not me! You never were me! You just used me to get at my friends, specifically Judai!"

The girl laughed lightly. "You still don't understand, do you? I _am_ you. I am you're hidden desires, your darkest secrets. I am the side that you don't allow anyone to see. I know you better than you know yourself."

"No, you don't!" Asuka shouted, her voice cracking from the intensity.

The girl shook her head. "Come, I have something to show you." Asuka's legs began moving of their own accord, following the girl. Asuka raised an eyebrow, when she discovered her legs began following the look-alike. The White-Asuka waved her hand, and revealed a video screen, displaying a duel.

Asuka looked at the picture. "What's that?"

"That? That is the beginning of the end for the man you care about most. The one I try hardest to push away to keep you strong. You saw how that duel is going to end a while ago."

"You mean…that vision before…?"

White-Asuka nodded greedily. "But before we see the demise of our greatest enemy, I have other things to show you." She waved her hand, and the screen with the duel changed to show Asuka, dressed in white clothes, abusing Judai. "You mean to tell me with all this you did to Judai, you didn't mean any of it?"

"Of course not! You were in control then, you and that monster Saiou!"

White-Asuka began laughing again. "You honestly believe Judai is so willing to forgive you after all of this?" Asuka watched more and more of the abusive torture she gave Judai, and she became less and less sure of herself. "Judai just acted how Judai would act. He doesn't want others to worry about him, so he doesn't let them know what he's thinking. If you think that he hasn't buried this in his subconscious and keeps reminding himself of the things you and the others have done, you are even more foolish than I thought."

Asuka felt the guilt rise within her, as she watched the torture she and her Society friends gave Judai became more and more horrid.

"DUEL!" 

"Here we go…" Misawa breathed. The group watched the duel from the TV screen in the infirmary. The split the screen down the middle, and zoomed in onto the two duelists faces.

"I have never seen two duelists with more intensity before," Areka gasped.

"Indeed," Edo stated as he walked in. "I have a feeling this is going to be a long duel, especially if Judai's going to revert back to Richter Davis, as it appears he has."

"Aniki…" Sho muttered.

"I think I'll give it a go," Judai stated, "Draw!" He looked at his card, and his hand. 'No Neos or Neo-Spacians, huh? Oh, well.' Judai thought slightly. "I'll summon Clayman in defense mode, set a card, and end it there!" Clayman appeared in a flash of light, and immediately bent down on one knee and crossed its arms in front of Judai.

"That's it? I'm disappointed," Manjoume called back. "I would've thought the famous Yuki Judai would've had made a bigger splash to start than that giant boulder!" Judai's eyes narrowed. Manjoume chuckled a bit. "Well, if you won't give the audience a good show, I guess I'll have to."

"Quit stalling and go already!" Judai fired.

"If you insist, Draw!" Manjoume tore a card from his deck. "I summon Beetron 1-Kabutop, in attack mode!" The robotic fly appeared on the field and floated to the ground.

"Next, I'll active the Permanent Spell, Frontline Base! With this card in play, I can special summon any Level Four or Lower Union monster from my hand. So, I special summon Beetron 2-Kawagaturbo, in attack mode!" The new bug-like robot appeared on the field. "Now, Kawagaturbo's effect activates! I can equip this card to a Kabutop on my field once per turn. And then, my monster gains 400 attack points!" The Kawagaturbo flew underneath the Kabutop. The latter clipped onto the back onto the former, making a creation that looked more like an air-borne tank than an insect. The Attack points on the new monster rose to 2100.

"You thought that pathetic wall would stop me from gaining what is destined to be mine? Forget it!" Manjoume confidently shouted. "Attack his Clayman!" The laser cannon that stuck out from the bottom monster that looked like a horn began to charge with a yellow light. The stream then fired out, and incinerated the Hero in an instant. Judai used his arms to block the smoke blowing into his face.

"I think that's enough torture for now," Manjoume scoffed haughtily.

"Fine, Draw!" Judai grabbed another card. "I'll summon Sparkman in attack mode! And I'll equip him with Elemental Sword! Now whenever Sparkman battles with a monster whose Element is different from his own, he gains 800 attack points! And seeing as your monster is Earth, compared to his Light, I think the effect qualifies in this case, wouldn't you agree?" Judai sneered.

"Sparkman, cut that bug in two!" The Hero sped towards the tank and sliced to divide the creatures in two. However, at the last moment, the two creatures divided, allowing only the Kawagaturbo connection to be destroyed. Manjoume still absorbed some damage, 300 LP to be exact. "What was that?" Judai demanded.

Manjoume laughed haughtily. "It is Kawagaturbo's effect, when he is an equipment card, and the monster he is equipped to is attacked, if the equipped monster would normally be destroyed, I can destroy Kawagaturbo instead."

Judai glowered darkly at the boy. 'Damn it, he knew I was gonna get a monster more powerful than that thing,' Judai mused. "I'll end my turn."

"Good, Draw! I summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode! And, since your Elemental Sword only works on monsters who has a Main Type is different than your monster, I think you know what's coming next." Judai grimaced. "X-Head Cannon is a Light-Main Type! Cannon, attack his Sparkman!" The shoulder cannons charged up and aimed directly at Sparkman. Sparkman's Energy sword deactivated itself and two streams of energy fired and speared the Electric-based hero, destroying it in an explosion. Judai's LP dropped slightly to 3800. "There's one Spell card," Manjoume muttered.

"Now, Kabutop! Attack his Life Points directly!" Manjoume pointed at Judai. The bug began charging forward towards Judai.

"I don't think so, Traitor! Trap Card, Open! Hero Spirits!" A spirit version of Sparkman appeared on the field, and took the charge of the monster. Judai smirked greedily at his opponent. "Hero Spirits is a trap that I can only use in a turn when an Elemental Hero has been destroyed in battle. It can negate the attack of one of your monsters. Looks like your foresight couldn't predict that, eh?"

Manjoume grinned evilly, the unnatural fire burning within him even noticeable by across the duel field. "You haven't even begun to see my power yet, Yuki Judai. You just wait, I will win this duel, not only because destiny says so, but because it is my birthright to become the most renowned duelist in the world, and lead this world into the Light!"

Judai scowled. "I'll make sure that I take you down!"

"Go ahead and try, its your move!" Manjoume scoffed.

"Draw! I'll summon E-Hero Bubbleman! And, because he's the only card on my field, I can draw two more cards!" He took two cards from his deck. "I activate Dark Factory of Mass Production! With this card, I can return two Normal Monsters from my graveyard back to my hand. So I think I'll take back Clayman and Sparkman. And now, I activate Polymerization! I'll fuse Bubbleman on my field, the Sparkman I just brought back, and Avian in my hand! Come on out, Elemental Hero Tempest!" A torrent of wind ripped through the field, and appearing from the gust was the fused Hero.

"Tempest! Attack his Kabutop with Chaos Tempest!" The creature pointed the laser cannon on its arm at the machine-bug. It pulsed with a blue light, before unloading its contents onto the enemy. The monster disappeared in a blue flash and an enormous cloud of smoke. Manjoume's Life Points dropped over a quarter of the total to 2600.

"I'll set one card. Turn End." Manjoume staggered slightly from the attack. "What's wrong, Manjoume? Can't take a little damage?" Judai mocked evilly.

Manjoume began cackled darkly. He lifted his head and glared at his opponent. "Judai, I must admit dueling you like this is so much different than from before," Manjoume congratulated. "It's so invigorating dueling like this. Can't you feel it?" Manjoume licked his lips.

Judai just stared at the boy. "Don't try to compare me to you, Ass," Judai stated loudly, fairly annoyed by the statement.

"Keep telling yourself that. Meanwhile, I'll savor each moment as it passes more and more, as it closes in on your destiny, your defeat at the hands of Manjoume-Sanda! My turn, Draw! I activate the effect of Frontline Base, allowing me to Special Summon a Level Four or lower Union Monster! I'll Special Summon, Beetron 3-Spider Base!"

"Next, I activate the Spell Card, Bee-Wing Formation! I can't Normal Summon, nor can I activate Front Change on the turn I activate this Magic card. However, it allows me to remove Beetrons 1, 2, and 3 on my field and in my graveyard from play to Special Summon Assault Cannon Beetle, in defense mode!" The giant scorpion-like tank appeared on the field in front of Manjoume, aiming its giant cannon at Judai from across the field.

"I activate my Beetle's effect! I can sacrifice monsters on my side of the field, and for each one, I deal 800 points of damage to your Life Points directly! I sacrifice X-Head Cannon to do so. Go, Assault Cannon Beetle! Unload your salvo onto Judai!" X-Head cannon disintegrated into a large pile of energy, which then fired at Judai, causing an explosion at his feet. Judai shielded himself from the blast, grunting from the shot.

"Looks like you can't take that much damage either, hmm, Judai?" Manjoume taunted.

"Shut your damn mouth!" Judai shot back.

"Temper, temper. Wouldn't want to embarrass yourself in front of your classmates, would you?" Manjoume mocked. "I'll set a card and end."

"Good, Draw!" Judai smirked. "I'll be taking down that pathetic excuse of a tank, Manjoume." Manjoume's brow furrowed. "I see you're interested, well let me show you what I mean. I equip the Spell, Light Eraser to Tempest! I can equip this card to an Elemental Hero, and when I do, any monsters that battle with my monster equipped with this card. Will be instantly removed from play!" A giant blue-colored pair of knuckles appeared in front of Tempest. The hero grabbed the card, and activated the laser sword on it.

Judai pointed at the giant scorpion across the way. "Tempest, attack Assault Cannon Beetle with Light Eraser!" The Wind-based creature flew at the opponent. It raised its weapon high into the air and prepared to strike down onto Assault Cannon Beetle.

"Trap Card, Open! Dust Tornado!" The trap card flipped up and sent a giant tornado at Tempest's arm that was holding Light Eraser. The card was torn from the Hero's grasp, and disintegrated. Judai growled in anger from the trap's effect. The Hero aimed its Gun-arm at the monster in a futile attempt to destroy the tank.

Manjoume chuckled lightly. " 'Going to take down my tank,' I believe those were your words, correct? Not this turn, because Dust Tornado allows me to destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field, once it's activated. It also allows me to set a card, if I wanted to, but I think we'll skip that part."

Judai glared across the field. "I'll set one card facedown. Turn end," Judai declared.

"Judai, the time slowly creeps closer to your defeat. Can you feel it, the pressure of knowing you face defeat?" Manjoume asked.

"Big words, coming from a guy who is losing the duel at this moment," Judai shot back.

"But it is a fact. I know that you know this; I can see it in your eyes. I know that you dueling like you are now is actually your weakness," Manjoume explained. Judai frowned. "You haven't drawn your Neos or a Neo-Spacian yet in your last two duels, unless you were going to immediately discard them from your hand. When was the last time you used a Neo-Spacian in a duel, hmm?"

Judai's eyes widened in astonishment. 'He's right. I haven't used Neos, since I dueled Asuka. I haven't even seen their Duel Spirits in that time. What's happened to them?' Judai looked down at his deck.

"I'll tell you why you haven't used them. Saiou-sama has already told me. You have lost their trust, as you have become as cold as a killer. They will never work for someone who is as evil as you, Richter Davis. And because of this, I now have the power to win this duel. Soon you will see Saiou-sama's power that he has given to me, so that I could defeat you."

'Can I win without them?' Judai wondered ignoring Manjoume. The boy then smiled evilly and licked his lips. "Heh, who needs 'em?" Judai finally stated.

Manjoume eyes widened, and he smirked. "Ditching your alien friends, then?"

"If they don't want to help me, why should I beg for their assistance? I don't need anyone's help. I've beaten you down before by myself, I can do so again," Judai stated. A chill went through the whole arena as the two glared into each other, causing an evil aura to rise from the duel field and spread throughout the arena.

**(Judai's Life Points 3000, Manjoume-Sanda's Life Points 2600)**

**AJ**: Bil, Manjoume and Judai continue their duel. Wait! Manjoume has pulled out a new dragon?!

**Bil**: Why're you talking like you're giving a preview for the next chapter?

**AJ**: Asuka continues to fight her guilt over her actions, but Judai's negligence of his friends isn't helping her!

**Bil**: Stop talking like that!

**AJ**: Next Time! **Chapter 35: From Dusk to Dawn**!!

**Bil**: Remind me to never do this with you again.


	36. Dusk to Dawn

**AJ**: Back for Chapter 35, and you guys thought I was gone, didn't you?

**Bil**: Not really…

**AJ**: Oh…well…Here's the next chapter.

**Bil**: You idiot.

Chapter 35: Dusk to Dawn 

"Judai, the time slowly creeps closer to your defeat. Can you feel it, the pressure of knowing you face defeat?" Manjoume asked.

"Big words, coming from a guy who is losing the duel at this moment," Judai shot back.

"But it is a fact. I know that you know this; I can see it in your eyes. I know that you dueling like you are now is actually your weakness," Manjoume explained. Judai frowned. "You haven't drawn your Neos or a Neo-Spacian yet in your last two duels, unless you were going to immediately discard them from your hand. When was the last time you used a Neo-Spacian in a duel, hmm?"

Judai's eyes widened in astonishment. 'He's right. I haven't used Neos, since I dueled Asuka. I haven't even seen their Duel Spirits in that time. What's happened to them?' Judai looked down at his deck.

"I'll tell you why you haven't used them. Saiou-sama has already told me. You have lost their trust, as you have become as cold as a killer. They will never work for someone who is as evil as you, Richter Davis. And because of this, I now have the power to win this duel. Soon you will see Saiou-sama's power that he has given to me, so that I could defeat you."

'Can I win without them?' Judai wondered ignoring Manjoume. The boy then smiled evilly and licked his lips. "Heh, who needs 'em?" Judai finally stated.

Manjoume eyes widened, and he smirked. "Ditching your alien friends, then?"

"If they don't want to help me, why should I beg for their assistance? I don't need anyone's help. I've beaten you down before by myself, I can do so again," Judai stated. A chill went through the whole arena as the two glared into each other, causing an evil aura to rise from the duel field and spread throughout the arena.

**(Judai's LP 3000, Manjoume's LP 2600)**

Asuka watched the duel from where she was, gasping at what Judai had just stated. The screen zoomed in onto Judai's evilly grinning complexion. White-Asuka chuckled lightly. "See that man? The one you call Yuki Judai? You are part of the creation; that man that stands before you."

"What do you mean?" Asuka asked, annoyed at the women, though interested at her statement.

"The reason Richter Davis has risen from within Judai. He has become that due to his anger."

"What does his anger have to do with me?" Asuka pressed.

"It's not just you, but all the Society of Light in general. After all the stuff you guys did, you think he would just simply forgive and forget?" White-Asuka laughed haughtily. "Even Judai has a breaking point underneath his chipper exterior."

"You lie! Judai knows that we're fighting the Light of Ruin, and the people in the Association are just tools for that…thing!" Asuka shot back.

White-Asuka shook her head. "You just don't understand. Judai doesn't care about you, yet you continue to hold onto false strands of hope."

Asuka's brow furrowed. "Look, it's your fault he's back as Richter Davis. You helped bring him that way, even if you're not in the Society anymore."

"How's that?" Asuka inquired, her wall of confidence fading with each word coming out of the girl's mouth.

"You became bait for the boy to be lead into a trap against his brother. You didn't withdraw from the competition when Judai asked you, and then what happens? You are defeated by Saiou, and Judai snaps because you are unconscious."

Asuka lowered her head. "You're wrong…" she choked.

"If you think I'm wrong, then let us continue watching the duel." White-Asuka gestured to the vision. "We shall see where Judai's true loyalties lie."

"Interesting, you would go so far as to duel me with practically half a deck, Judai," Manjoume scoffed.

"Save it for someone who cares," Judai said darkly. "I told you, I don't need my friends to defeat you and that crappy Society of Light. It's cause of you people that I've been living in this hell the last half a year, and today begins the series of days where I put an end to your foolish beliefs, once and for all!"

"We'll see. But for now, it's my turn, Draw!" Manjoume looked at his new card, before selecting another card. "I activate Front Change! This Spell allows me to substitute a Combat Scissors Beetle for my Assault Cannon Beetle!" The entire scorpion-like tank split apart and began to readjust itself into a new tank-like object, with the scissors-like Kawagaturbo ontop of the formation.

"Combat Scissors Beetle, attack Tempest!" The projectile on top of Combat Scissors Beetle began to fly across the field due to the rocket on the back of the monster. It flew straight through Tempest, causing an explosion on the field.

Judai shielded himself from the explosion. "I activate Tempest's effect! By sacrificing one card on my field, I can save Tempest from being destroyed! I'll sacrifice my facedown Flute of Summoning Kuriboh, and Tempest stays on the field!" The smoke cleared, and true enough, the hero was still standing.

Manjoume chuckled slightly. 'With that last move, you have sealed your own fate, Yuki Judai,' the man mused. "I'll set a card and end."

"Draw!" He looked at his new card. "Yes," he breathed. "I activate the effect of Elemental Hero Captain Gold! By discarding this monster from my hand to the graveyard, I can bring one Skyscraper Field Spell card to my hand." He placed the new Hero into the graveyard, took out his deck from its place in the deck, and withdrew from it one Skyscraper spell.

""Now, I activate the Field Spell, Skyscraper!" The Osiris duelist raised his arm into the air and ejected a card slot underneath the duel disk. He placed the card into the slot and closed the Field Spell holder. Suddenly, extremely tall buildings began to rise from the ground and into the fictional sky, which had now transformed into night. "Now, when an Elemental Hero battles with a monster that has a higher attack power, the hero gains 1000 attack points!"

Manjoume smirked and chuckled, shifting his shoulders from the laugh. "You just keep getting more and more pathetic, you know that?" Manjoume said. "You're destiny has already been decided. You're just prolonging the inevitable."

"You're words keep getting bigger, but so far, your dueling hasn't backed it up too much, if you ask me," Judai retorted. "Go, Tempest! Destroy Combat Scissors Beetle! And thanks to Skyscraper, his attack increases to 3800, more than enough to destroy that oversized beetle!"

The hero charged up his cannon arm, which began to pulsate blue, before firing the stream of energy at the tank. The tank exploded in a blinding flash, as the crowd, which didn't know whether to cheer for Judai or not, began to "ooh" and "ahh". Manjoume shielded himself from the explosion, and the damage. He grunted as his LP decreased by 600.

Judai smirked evilly. "I'll end my turn. Not so tough, are we?" the boy sneered. "Looks like you're the one who doesn't have any witty retorts, now." The young man began to chuckle evilly, before breaking out into a cold laughter.

"This isn't good," Edo stated from the infirmary.

Areka nodded. "He's acting just like he was while he dueled Jaycen. I think he's lost it."

"But so far, he's been able to counter Manjoume at every turn," Misawa noted.

"I don't think that will happen for long. Remember, he has turned his back on the Neo-Spacians, effectively making him work with half a deck," Edo informed them. "Plus, Manjoume wouldn't be losing yet still be this confident if he didn't have a trick or two up his sleeve."

"Aniki," Sho whispered.

"Judai," Asuka muttered, shocked from Judai's unnatural laugh, "please, come back…"

"You only have yourself to blame, Miss," White-Asuka stated behind her.

Asuka fell to her knees and covered her ears. "Leave me alone!" the girl sobbed.

"It's true, and your reaction tells me you know it is," the cold voice spoke. The girl began to laugh, as Asuka knelt on the ground, covering her ears and closing her eyes, trying desperately to keep herself from being overcome by grief.

The Society duelist choked a laugh, which Judai mistook for a choke of pain. "So, Manjoume, still think your prediction is going to happen?" Judai mocked. Manjoume just smiled evilly underneath his arm. He began to chortle, before bursting into laughter. "What the…?" Judai breathed.

Manjoume lowered his arm, revealing his maniacal face, which looked even more diabolical with his mirth. "You just don't get it, do you!?" Manjoume shot. "Everything in this duel, your moves, your turns, your cards, they're all revealed to me via destiny! I know every move you are going to make, before you even make it! And thanks to your negligence of your Neo-Spacians just puts you into an even worse spot!"

"You still need to prove to me, that you can defeat me, Manjoume," Judai taunted. "If I recall, I have beaten you both times we have faced before."

"This is a new day and a new duel. I have yet to pull out my new monster, which, if my count is correct, will happen on the tenth turn of this duel. And, if my math is correct, the tenth turn comes now! Draw!" Manjoume smiled at his draw. "Judai, the countdown to your defeat begins now! I activate my facedown Permanent Trap, Call of the Haunted! With this I can select a monster from my graveyard in attack position! I'll bring back X-Head Cannon!"

Judai whistled tauntingly. "That's some monster you got there," the boy laughed. "I can feel myself trembling already."

"Just shut up and listen, will you?" Manjoume fired back. "This isn't my prized monster. Matter of fact, this card is just a stepping-stone. I sacrifice X-Head Cannon in order to summon White-Horned Dragon!" The robot disappeared into a blinding flash, and growing out of the flash, grew an enormous dragon, with a large white horn protruding from its skull. The creature let out an extremely loud roar, shaking the ground.

"Not good!" Misawa shouted.

"What's that thing?" Kenzan inquired.

"An extremely powerful monster," Edo stated firmly, narrowing his eyes.

"What's so powerful about it?" Areka questioned. "It only has 2200 attack points."

"That's just the start," Fubuki told them, looking up from his position. "White-Horned Dragon has a special effect. When it is summoned, it can remove up to five Spell cards from the opponent's graveyard. Then for each spell removed, that dragon gains 300 attack points."

"Oh no…Aniki has used five Spells already! That means…!" Sho noted loudly.

"Now, I remove from your graveyard, Judai, Polymerization, Elemental Sword, Light Eraser, Flute of Summoning Kuriboh, and Dark Factory of Mass Production! Because of this, White-Horned Dragon gains 1500 attack points to 3700!" The monster began glowing with a reddish-white aura, and grew larger as its strength grew.

Judai laughed haughtily at the new monster. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall I suppose. That thing can't beat Tempest! I still have Skyscraper on the field, so he still will have 3800 attack points!"

"I'm not done with my Main Phase I yet. I now activate the Magic Card, Stamping Destruction! I can only activate this card while a Dragon-type monster is on my field. With it, I can destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field, and then you are dealt 500 points of damage!" The giant dragon roared loudly again, shaking the earth. The scenery soon began to crumble around Judai, as the Field Spell disintegrated into nothingness. Judai covered his ears, as the roar dealt him 500 points of damage.

Manjoume pointed up to his monster. "Now, White-Horned Dragon, attack Tempest!" The creature powered up a red-and-yellow ball of energy within its mouth, which grew to an enormous size. The duelist then thrusted a finger at Judai. "Enraged Dragon Flash!" The dragon fired the giant ball of energy directly at the powerless hero, incinerating it effortlessly. Judai shaded his eyes at the explosion, as the excess lowered his LP by 900.

"And just like that, the duel is now under my control," Manjoume taunted. "Still think that my declaration is incorrect!?" Manjoume began cackling.

Judai glared darkly across the field. "Are you done?"

"Yeah, for now I guess."

"Draw!" Judai looked at his new card, and growled in disapproval. 'Garbage!' He looked at his hand and selected a card. "I'll summon Clayman in defense mode and that's it."

"Not much you can do when your opponent has over 3000 attack points, is there? Draw!" He looked at his card. "Alright my dragon, destroy that pathetic excuse for a wall! Enraged Dragon Flash!" The monster again eliminated a monster, without leaving a trace. "I'll set a card. Turn end."

"Draw!" The boy smiled, before choosing his card. "Your monster is fairly strong, Manjoume, but I have a monster to defeat it without even attacking. I activate Miracle Fusion! By removing E-Hero Fusion-Material monsters on my field and in my graveyard from play, I can summon a Fusion E-Hero Monster! I'll remove Sparkman and Clayman to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero, Thunder Giant!"

"I activate the effect of Thunder Giant! When he is summoned, I can destroy one monster on the field whose original attack points were lower than his! And since your Dragon's attack was 2200 before you increased it, it's a viable target! Thunder Giant, Electric Shockwave!" The monster powered up a ball of electricity within his hands, and fired it directly at the heart of the dragon.

**(Judai's Life Points 1200, Manjoume's Life Points 2000)**

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**AJ**: Well, that's that for that Chapter.

**Bil**: What!? What happened to his dragon!?

**AJ**: You'll have to wait for the next chapter, which I am starting now. Dunno if it'll be done till tomorrow morning, but I plan on getting it done before I head for work tomorrow.

**Bil**: You…

**AJ**: The next chapter, **Chapter 36: Redemption**. You won't wanna miss it.


	37. Redemption

**AJ**: Part three of the duel between Manjoume and Judai. Can Judai defeat Manjoume with only half of his deck?

**Bil**: I'm more interested in Asuka.

**AJ**: Aww…you're feeling for her?

**Bil**: Hell, no, I want her gone! I want evil Judai for eternity!!!!

**AJ**: You're weird…

Chapter 36: Redemption 

"I can't watch this anymore…" Asuka whispered. "It's too painful…"

White-Asuka finally waved her hand, and the duel disappeared, revealing another duel. "What's this?" Asuka wondered aloud. The screen revealed Judai across the way. It appeared to be the view from a first-person view. The person directed his or her hand at Judai, and a monster went an charged at Judai.

Asuka immediately recognized the monster. "No…That's…"

"Yes, it is Etoile Cyber…This is the duel that gave Judai so much pain, so much misery, so much anguish. This was his duel against, you."

Asuka slid to her knees, tears flowing down her face. She had buried the duel within the depths of her mind, except the last when she saw Judai fall unconscious. But here it was, all so clear, all so real.

"No…I can't believe…it wasn't me…" Asuka quietly insisted to no one.

"It was you, and you know it," White-Asuka sneered. The screen then turned to show Asuka's face. "You can see the joy and satisfaction emanating from your face from seeing Yuki Judai in pain. All of it, is you. Believe it, as it is all very real."

Asuka watched in terror and extremely ashamed from her actions. She lowered her head in pain, holding her heart chest near her heart area. "I'm so…pathetic…" she whispered as tears streamed down her face. "I…don't deserve to have anyone…least of all Judai…"

"I activate Miracle Fusion!" Judai declared. "By removing E-Hero Fusion-Material monsters on my field and in my graveyard from play, I can summon a Fusion E-Hero Monster! I'll remove Sparkman and Clayman to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero, Thunder Giant!"

"I activate the effect of Thunder Giant! When he is summoned, I can destroy one monster on the field whose original attack points were lower than his! And since your Dragon's attack was 2200 before you increased it, it's a viable target! Thunder Giant, Electric Shockwave!" The monster powered up a ball of electricity within his hands, and fired it directly at the heart of the dragon.

**(Judai's LP 1200, Manjoume's LP 2000)**

"Trap Card, Open!" The ball of electricity hit the dragon and exploded, covering the field with a giant cloud of smoke. When the smog cleared, the dragon remained.

"What the…!?" Judai gasped. "How's he still on the field!?"

"I activated my Trap Card, Impervious Dragon Scales," Manjoume informed him. "By sacrificing one card on my field, I can activate this card, and make all Dragons on my field immune to card effects for the rest of the turn."

"You didn't have any other cards on your field!" Judai insisted.

"Actually, I did. See, despite the fact that X-Head Cannon wasn't on the field, he was never technically destroyed, he was just sacrificed, meaning that Call of the Haunted was still face-up on my field. I sent that card to the graveyard." Judai snarled at his opponent outsmarting him. "Now, if you don't mind, it's about time you end your turn."

Judai looked at his remaining cards. "I'll set two cards. Go ahead."

"Draw! White-Horned Dragon attack Thunder Giant! Destroy it!" Manjoume shouted.

"I activate De-Fusion! Then I chain Burial From Another Dimension! With the second, I can return up to three monsters removed from the game back to the field, then with De-Fusion, I can send my monster to my Fusion Deck, and special summon the monsters that made up the Fusion Monster!" The fused creature glowed white, before dividing into two separate monsters, Clayman and Sparkman, both of which set down on the field in defense position.

"My attack can still destroy one of your defense monsters! Destroy Sparkman!" The dragon incinerated the hero, leaving only ash and smoke behind. Manjoume laughed. "Well, that sure was quite an energetic set of turns, hmm?"

Judai growled in annoyance. 'He's just taunting me,' the boy mused. "Why don't you just finish your turn?"

Manjoume snickered, while looking at his card. "You're so pathetic. Wish for your life to be taken away so easily, just like Tenjoin-kun?"

"Say what?" Judai breathed. "What's wrong with Asuka!" Judai demanded.

"She was in the way, so Saiou-sama decided to remove her. The longer you duel me, the more you are hurting her. Do you know why?" Judai's brow furrowed. "Your expression tells me no. Let's just say, Tenjoin-kun has a guilt problem. And unless she can fight off Saiou-sama's power, which no one besides you and Kenzan has been able to do, she will be consumed by her guilt, and will perish."

"No…" Judai gasped.

"Yes! How wonderful! First you'll lose your woman, then you'll lose this duel! It's the perfect revenge that I have long wished to taste!" Manjoume licked his lips. "I can finally whet my appetite with the sweet flavor of conquest."

"Asuka…why would she feel guilty about me!?" Judai inquired.

"Oh, come on! You don't see it? She thinks she put you into this position! She thinks it is her fault that you were hurt in her duel as well as in your duel against Jaycen! Are you really that dense!? Asuka may be a strong girl, but she's really just a scared child, forced to put on a mask because she represents the entire school! You're her one rock, and yet how fitting it is that you will be her downfall!"

"You're lying!" Judai insisted, annoyed that Manjoume would sink this low. "Asuka's too strong for that

"Am I? You don't realize the power Saiou-sama has within his grasp! He can do anything he desires, including eliminating Tenjoin-kun in order to weaken you with shame and guilt!" The Society duelist began cackling madly.

Judai glowered at the boy. "You're bluffing…you just have to be."

"Believe what you want, the truth will come out in due time. For now, I'll set a card and end my turn."

"My turn, Draw!" He looked at his new card. "I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards! Now, I activate Metamorphosis. I can send Clayman to the graveyard, and in exchange, Special Summon the monster Clayguardman! Now his effect activates. When he is summoned, you receive two hundred points of damage for each card on your field! Giving you a total of 400 points thanks to that facedown and your Dragon!"

Manjoume glowed red for a moment, as some of his Life Points were absorbed. "Is that all you can do? That didn't even tickle, let alone hurt!" Manjoume taunted.

"For now. Go ahead," Judai growled, realizing he was in trouble.

"Tch, fine. Draw! I activate my facedown, the Permanent Trap card, Dragon's Rage! Now, if a dragon monster on my field has an attack higher than your defense points, the difference is dealt to you as damage!" Judai's brow furrowed, as he prepared to brace himself for the damage he was about to receive. "I'm sure you know what's coming next. White-Horned Dragon, attack Clayguardman!" The dragon fired its reddish-yellow blast of energy, destroying the monster.

The explosion inched closer to Judai. "What the…What's happening!?" The reddish-yellow aura soon enveloped his feet, then his legs, and finally his entire body, as the boy disappeared into the blast. He lost consciousness immediately.

Asuka knelt on the ground with her hands on the ground supporting her up. She had just watched the highlights of the duel with Judai, her heart dropping every time Judai howled in pain from the electricity. "How could I have been…so heartless…" she whispered between her sobs.

White-Asuka looked at the girl with the first expression of pity she had ever had since Asuka arrived to…wherever they were. "Asuka," she began, "there is one way to end your pain and the pain of your friends."

Asuka looked up at the girl, tears blinding her vision partly. "What…?" she breathed. White-Asuka's eyes began flaring with an unnatural purple light. Asuka felt herself slip away into the light.

White-Asuka held out her hand towards Asuka. "Take my hand, and I will lead you away from here, away from hurting others, away from the pain," the girl stated.

Asuka stared at the girl, losing the feeling in her limbs and body more and more as she stared at the unearthly light. "No…no…I have to…apologize to Judai…and the others…" she told the other girl.

"For what point and purpose? You know they'll just accept it to make you feel good about yourself, but they'll never really mean it," White-Asuka stated. "You must trust me, trust yourself, your instincts. Trust me."

Asuka finally lost the last grip of her control, and nodded slowly. She began raising her hand and reaching for the other girl's hand.

Saiou stood in front of Asuka, holding his hand out to the girl, smiling evilly. 'Yes. I shall eliminate Asuka. Then, Judai, no, Richter, will never return to being Yuki Judai ever again, always being the vengeful, hatred-filled Richter Davis!'

The man chuckled evilly under his breath. It was ease itself to sneak into Asuka's sub-conscious to corrupt it whilst he dueled her. Then, the coup de grace, he sent an enormous stream of energy, the Light of Ruin, directly at her, effectively putting her unconscious, injecting with an overpowering amount of the Light of Ruin. The girl would eventually lose her life, due to the large amount of energy injected into her poor body.

Saiou licked his lips. He wanted the boy suffer as much pain as possible, before taking full control of him, in order to avenge the loss of the Society. This was the way to do it, strike at his emotions, the one weakness in the boy. And now that he had turned the youth against his own Neo-Spacians and that troublesome Neos, he had the greatest opportunity to do so.

Suddenly, something clicked in Saiou's mind. "What? I sense another presence in here," the man muttered. He turned his head around, searching for the source of the presence.

Then it hit him. "Yuki Judai," Saiou mouthed. "His spirit is here also." Saiou smirked evilly. 'Good, he'll witness the death of this girl he couldn't protect, first-hand,' Saiou mused.

Judai felt the feeling return to his body. He lowered his arms, and opened his eyes. He was floating in a dark abyss. He turned around, not seeing anything. "Where's the duel!?! Where am I!?" the boy stated aloud, annoyed that he had been transported against his will somewhere.

He heard a chirping behind him. He whirled around, and saw a very angry-looking Winged Kuriboh right in his face, squeaking madly at the boy. "What? _I've _betrayed the Neo-Spacians!?" he shot at the creature. "_They're_ the ones who abandoned me!!"

The creature peeped even more rapidly at the boy, before turning to the side, and pointing behind him. Judai looked past the little creature, and saw all of Asuka's Cyber Girls glaring at him. "What, you're all mad at me, too?"

"We're not angry. Just disappointed that you, the Chosen One, has lowered himself to your current standards," Cyber Blader stated. "You're supposed to be the one who will balance the Light and Darkness, according to the Neo-Spacians, yet you are acting as foolish and cold as you are right now."

Judai narrowed his eyes. "Now, listen here…" Judai began.

"No, you listen," Cyber Tutu cut him off. "We brought you here because the Light is still present within Asuka. Saiou is using it to corrupt Asuka into thinking that it's her fault that you are acting like Richter Davis. We need you to get her out of her depression and back to normal."

"Why don't you guys do it, if you're so tough?" Judai spat. Etoile Cyber walked up to the boy and smacked him across the face. Judai's head twisted to the side, before turning back to face them, with a red handprint on his cheek.

"Do you want Asuka back or do you want to indirectly cause her death!?" the cyber woman shouted.

Judai's eyes widened. "Her…death…?" Judai whispered.

"Saiou is trying to absorb her consciousness into the Light," Cyber Angel Dakini explained. "Unless Asuka is drawn out of her morose state, she will accept Saiou's Light as an easy way out, and will perish. We would help her, but Saiou has a protective field around them, allowing no Duel Spirits in or out. Come! We must hurry!" Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater grabbed Judai's arms, with Winged Kuriboh standing on the boy's shoulder. The group flew to a large space surrounded by a purplish-white light.

"Is that…?" Judai inquired.

The Cyber Girls all nodded. Dakini turned to Judai. "Please, Judai, you're the only one she will listen to at this point," the Duel Spirit said softly.

Judai nodded. The youth walked towards the shielded area, and pressed his hands against the surface. He realized his hand could go through the odd-colored space. He pushed forward with his other hand, and then forced himself into the sealed area.

The boy fell forward, and to his knees in the area. He lifted his head, and looked around. The area was multi-colored. The boy was amazed. "It looks like my Neo Space card," the boy noted. He shook himself out of his daze. "I need to find Asuka!"

He didn't have to look far, as about 100 feet ahead of him, the youth saw Saiou standing in front of something, with his arm out and his palm facing up. Judai realized the something, was actually someone, and that someone was…

"Asuka!" Judai shouted. The girl didn't hear him, but was staring at Saiou. She appeared to have been crying at some point, and she was reaching out to grab the man's hand. He turned his gaze up slightly, and saw Saiou's eyes were glowing the unearthly light they normally did. "Asuka! Don't listen to him!" Judai screamed. "It's not your fault! None of this is your fault!"

Asuka didn't respond, slowly reaching out for Saiou's hand. Judai didn't have a choice. He charged forward towards the man. "SAIOU," Judai commanded. "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

He reached the two and launched a fist directly at the man's face, sending him away from the girl. Asuka blinked and regained her senses. She shook her head, and picked her head up from the ground. Her eyes widened at the sight. "J-Judai!?" she gasped.

Judai looked at the girl with a look of pity, annoyance, and despair. "Asuka, you can't blame yourself for anything that I do!" he shouted, a little more harshly than he wanted to, but he needed to get his point across.

"But…I caused you so much pain…" Asuka stated.

"Get away from her!" Saiou ordered. "She belongs to the Light!"

"Asuka, you're the only one who can defeat this! You have to stop feeling guilty over things you have no control! You must let go!" Judai informed her.

Saiou rushed forward towards Asuka, who looked at the man heading for her. She remembered all of her friends, and realized, 'I can't give up here!' She began to scream at the top her lungs, "I'm not giving up!" The multi-colored shield around the area began to fade.

As swift as lightening, the Cyber Angels sprung into action, sending their attacks onto Saiou's spirit. The man was blasted out of Asuka's consciousness quickly.

Saiou was knocked out of his chair and to the ground. He grunted in anger at his failure. "That boy…Yuki Judai…!" Saiou muttered. The man spat up a little blood onto the floor, before wiping his mouth. The man smirked evilly. "Yuki Judai! You never cease to amaze me. I cannot wait to acquire that power of yours! And once I do, this world…no…the entire universe will fall and be reborn into the Light!" He began howling with glee.

"Asuka, how could you not forgive yourself when your friends and I haven't blamed you for anything?" Judai asked, a little more softly, and with a less dark gaze.

"You…don't blame…?"

"I can't hold someone accountable for their actions, if they didn't do anything of their own free will," Judai told her flatly.

"But…then…why do you duel against Manjoume with so much hatred?" she questioned.

Judai was taken aback by the girl's statement. He replayed parts of the duel in his mind, and realized what his problem was. 'I've…been dueling with a hatred of my opponent, as if defeating them would relieve the pain that Saiou has given me,' the boy's eyes widened. 'No…Saiou isn't to blame for this…it's my own fault, for allowing my emotions to take control of my dueling. My enemy…it isn't Manjoume…it isn't the Society of Light…It isn't even Saiou…It is the Light of Ruin…That's why the Neo-Spacians abandoned…no…that's why I turned my back on them. I couldn't understand.'

"Judai? Are you ok?" Asuka asked.

Judai knelt down in front of the girl, and placed his hands onto her shoulders. He looked her straight in the eyes. "Asuka, thank you," he said quietly.

Asuka blinked and blushed, as their faces were mere inches from each other. "For…for what?" she whispered.

"For making me realize my problem. For always being there for me. For never letting me down…do I need to go on?" Judai smiled, quietly telling her his thanks.

Asuka's heart was racing. She smiled warmly at him, as she nodded. "And thank you, for making me realize how foolish I was…" The two lost each other in one another's eyes. They slowly began moving closer to each other, able to feel each other's breaths as they inched closer to each other.

"Asuka! Hold on!" a voice resounded throughout the area, breaking the silence and the scene.

Asuka blinked, her face flushed. "What was…that?" she gasped.

Judai, who was also red in the face, pulled away. "It sounded like Fubuki," he answered.

"Asuka, don't give up!" another voice reverberated.

"Asuka, we don't want to lose you!" a third said.

"Junko? Momoe?" Asuka breathed.

Judai nodded. "It's about time we go. All your friends are waiting eagerly for your return," he told her. "It's about time you tell them you're alright." He stood up and offered her has hand.

She nodded, and grabbed the boy's warm, gentle, yet firm grip. He lifted her to her feet. She brushed herself off, but then frowned. "But…what about you?"

"Me?" Judai repeated. He smiled warmly at the girl. "I have one more friend I have to bring back to normal."

"But, what about your Neo-Spacians?" she asked.

Judai sighed sadly. "It's my fault they left, so I will have to regain their trust. If I can show them that I'm not dueling out of rage in this duel, then maybe I can do so."

"Can you beat Manjoume without them?"

"It's not a matter of can or can't," Judai said. "It's a matter of do or don't." Asuka looked at the boy nervously. Judai chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, I didn't come all this way to lose now," he assured her. "For now, you must go and tell our friends you're ok now."

She smiled softly at the boy and nodded. "I'll see you soon after I get back!" she told him.

Judai gave her thumbs up, and looked at his Duel Spirit. "C'mon, Aibou. We have a job to do." Judai, Asuka, and his partner were suddenly surrounded by a golden light, and the two lost the feelings in their limbs again.

Asuka slowly opened her eyes. She couldn't see much, as her vision was blurred, and she was staring up into a bright light. She blinked once, and saw the silhouettes of several figures standing above her. She blinked a few more times, and realized that they were Fubuki, Junko, Momoe, and Ayukawa.

"Onii…san…Junko…Momoe…Ayukawa-sensei?" she breathed. "Wh…where am I?" She tried to sit up, but her head throbbed hard, and she grabbed it. Fubuki set her down with a firm hand.

"Easy," the sibling said, "you've been through a lot, I'd wager."

"Asuka-san…you're ok…" the two girls stated. They began sobbing, then tackled her, and began to hug her, crying their eyes out.

Asuka gasped for air at the tight hug, but then began giggling. "I'm fine, guys. Really!" She gave them a reassuring smile.

"Asuka!" a voice squealed. Rushing over from the other side of the room, came Sho, Kenzan, Misawa, and Areka.

"Hello, everyone!" Asuka said in a much chipper voice. She smiled at them, but then saw someone standing behind them looking at something. She followed his gaze, and saw a screen, displaying a very familiar part of the school.

She then remembered. How she almost gave up, how she would've lost, but that boy had made her see reason. "Judai!" Asuka screamed.

A cloud of smoke covered Judai's side of the field. Manjoume sneered in the direction of Judai's field. The smoke soon began to fade, with Judai bracing himself with his arms. He lowered his arms, as his Life Points drooped to 300. "Well, well, Judai, how was that?"

Judai chuckled lightly, and lowered his eyes, before smirking across the field. Manjoume frowned, however, at the boy. 'His eyes, they're different from before.'

"Manjoume," Judai began, "it's about time I make my comeback. Be proud, as you'll be the first to lose to the new and improved, Yuki Judai!"

**(Judai's Life Points 300, Manjoume-Sanda's Life Points 1600)**

**AJ**: Well, a very emotional chapter, but I don't think it's one of my best.

**Bil**: Ehh…wasn't too bad, though it appears Evil Judai is gone.

**AJ**: We shall see. Anyway, the story is almost winding down (Not really…seeing as I'm going on an average of 2 ½ chapters a duel, but…). I'm thinking of continuing the storyline, but it's up to you, the readers. Send a response on whether you think I should create a part two to this story. (The part two would be Judai on his two-month contract in the PDL.) Y'all come back for **Chapter 37: Once More, With Feeling** y'hear?


	38. Rolling Thunder

**AJ**: Chapter 37 is finally done!

**Bil**: You're so slow on your updates, it's sickening.

**AJ**: Yeah, but I need to make sure they are good. See, I'd like to keep the fan-base that likes this fanfic.

**Bil**: Brown-noser.

**AJ**: That beside the point.

Chapter 37: Rolling Thunder 

A cloud of smoke covered Judai's side of the field. Manjoume sneered in the direction of Judai's field. The smoke soon began to fade, with Judai bracing himself with his arms. He lowered his arms, as his Life Points drooped to 300. "Well, well, Judai, how was that?"

Judai chuckled lightly, and lowered his eyes, before smirking across the field. Manjoume frowned, however, at the boy. 'His eyes, they're different from before.'

"Manjoume," Judai began, "it's about time I make my comeback. Be proud, as you'll be the first to lose to the new and improved, Yuki Judai!"

**(Judai's Life Points 300, Manjoume-Sanda's Life Points 1600)**

Asuka quickly sat up from her bed again, fighting off her brother's hand to keep her down. "I need to get to Judai!" she stated hurriedly.

"You need to get better," Fubuki stated flatly.

"But Judai needs me! He needs us! He needs his friends to cheer for him to win this duel!" Asuka shouted.

"Asuka-san, please, keep it down," Ayukawa told her. She pushed the girl down into her pillow. "You need your rest."

"No! I need to go support Judai!"

Fubuki, realizing he wouldn't get her settled down, sighed. "Alright, we'll go cheer Judai. But afterwards, you get right back up here!" he said firmly. The boy smiled warmly at his sister, realizing why she wanted to cheer for the boy. He turned to the nurse. "I'm sorry, Ayukawa-sensei, but it is fairly apparent that she won't settle down unless she does this."

Ayukawa nodded. Momoe and Junko helped Asuka to her feet, and, with the boy's removed from the room, and got her dressed in her school clothes. Asuka was still a little unbalanced from her time being unconscious, but that didn't keep her from keeping up with the others, as they all ran down the hall to the duel arena.

"New and improved, huh?" Manjoume smirked. "Looks like the same old story, to me. Sorry if I steal your line, but those are big words for someone who is losing."

Judai grinned confidently back at his opponent. "Guess you'll just have to find out."

"If you say so. Could we hurry along? As much as I like to savor this by taunting you, I do have other things to do, like planning on leading the world into the Light," Manjoume sneered.

"You won't be so eager, once I get going," Judai retorted. Judai raised his hand to his deck. 'I hope I can do this without my Neo-Spacians. No! I can't think about that now. I have to defeat Manjoume, to make him see reason. I need to prove to the Neo-Spacians I really have changed.' The boy placed his hand onto his deck. 'I trust you, my deck, my Heroes!'

"My turn, Draw!" He tore a card from his deck and looked at it. "Yes," the youth breathed, "I activate the Spell, The Warrior Returning Alive! With this card, I can bring a Warrior-type monster back to my hand from my graveyard. I choose E-Hero Bubbleman! Now, I'll summon Bubbleman! And since he's the only card on my field, I can draw twice more!" He took his new cards, and peered at them

His face fell slightly. 'Didn't get anything to get rid of that Dragon this turn,' the boy thought, 'but I can still defend myself.' He selected a card from his hand. "I equip Bubbleman with Bubble Blaster, set two cards, and that's it!"

"That's it? All you did was make your Bubbleman a target! Just because it will take two turns to end this makes no difference! Draw!" He looked at his new card, and grinned maliciously. "Scratch that, it'll take one turn to end this. I activate the Magic Card, Mystical Space Typhoon! This card allows me to destroy one Spell or Trap on the field. Guess which one I'm going to pick!"

A large burst of wind flew directly at Bubble Blaster, blowing the launcher from Bubbleman's grasp, and destroying it. Judai braced himself from the tempest, grimacing that his Hero was now wide open. Manjoume smirked. "White-Horned Dragon, destroy the rest of his Life Points! Enraged Dragon Flash!" The giant reddish beam flew at a helpless Bubbleman

Asuka and the others arrived at the Arena, rushing out of the entrance and immediately up to the barricade dividing the duel field area from the crowds. She saw the dragon charge up its attack, which began heading directly for Judai. "Judai!" the group shouted.

"Trap Card, open! Hero Barrier!" An invisible force appeared in front of Bubbleman, blocking the attack from hitting the Hero. Judai wiped sweat off his brow. "Hero Barrier, my life-saver. I can only activate this when an Elemental Hero is on my field. I am allowed to negate one of your effects."

The group gave a collective sigh of relief. "Wow, talk about a close call," Sho whispered.

"Yes, but Aniki's still in this," Kenzan told the boy. "And if I know him, I don't think he'll be quitting any time soon."

"He's right. Those eyes are of the Judai I dueled last year," Edo stated. "I think he really has changed."

"Judai," Asuka muttered. 'Please, don't lose.'

"Tch, you're just stalling, now," Manjoume spat quietly. "Turn end."

"We'll see if I'm just stalling, or not. I Draw! I activate Graceful Charity! Allowing me to draw three cards, while discarding two. I'll get rid of Bubble Shuffle and Bladedge. Then I'll activate my facedown, Disgraceful Charity! Now, my two discards come back to my hand!"

Manjoume grimaced. "By the look on your face, I think you know what's coming next. I get back my Bladedge and my Bubble Shuffle. Next, I'll activate my Bubble Shuffle! This card switches a Bubbleman on my field and a monster on your field to defense mode. Then, I can tribute Bubbleman, and Special Summon one Elemental Hero monster on my field. I also chain to it, my Quick-Play Spell, Emergency Provisions! So I sacrifice my Bubble Shuffle and gain 1000 points!" He glanced at his Life Point meter, watching it rise to 1300.

"Now, your dragon and my hero are switched to defense mode! Finally, Bubbleman is sacrificed, and I special summon Bladedge!" The minotaur-like hero landed on the field in front of Judai.

"Alright!" Areka cheered.

"Go get him!" Fubuki added.

"I think it's fairly obvious what's going to happen. While your dragon is a force in attack mode, it fails when it comes to defense. Bladedge! Destroy that annoying dragon!" The monster's blades on its elbows clicked into place, and charged towards the now weakened dragon. The red dragon was divided into several pieces.

"No!" Manjoume howled, as he lost 1200 Life Points. He shielded himself from the attack with his arm. "Damn it," the boy stated.

"Seeing as I have no cards remaining, I think it's your go," Judai informed his opponent.

Manjoume growled in disgust. "JUDAI, I'LL DESTROY YOU FOR THAT!"

"Go on with your move," Judai simply responded.

"Draw!" Manjoume smirked evilly. "I activate the spell Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three, and discard two." Manjoume drew his new cards. When he saw what they were, he erupted in a cold, dark, evil laughter that sent a chill up Judai's spine. "Yuki Judai, we have reached the end of this duel."

Judai's brow furrowed. Manjoume grinned coldly at the boy. "You have been a mighty adversary, if not persistent, I'll give you that much credit. But now your run ends. I discard Level Up! and Armed Dragon LV 7! Next, I activate Level Modulation!"

"No!" Misawa cried.

"What? What does that do?" Sho asked.

"It allows Judai to draw two cards, but in return Manjoume gets to Special Summon a LV monster from his graveyard regardless of its summoning conditions. The monster cannot attack or use its effect this turn."

"What's so bad about that?" Kenzan inquired. "Aniki just has to defeat that thing this turn, then."

"Think about it," Edo told them, "would someone who revolves their deck around LV monsters have left themselves wide open like this more often than not if they could help it?"

"What do you mean?" Sho asked.

Manjoume answered his question. "Now, I'm going to sacrifice Armed Dragon LV 7 to Special Summon Armed Dragon LV 10!" The giant dragon disappeared in a flash. In its place, appeared an even bigger, fiercer looking dragon.

Judai glared at the dragon from across the field. He gulped, and felt cold sweat perspired on the back of his neck. "Ahh…" Manjoume breathed. "I can see it, the fear in your eyes; the sweat on your brow; the realization of your imminent demise. It makes me feel proud to strike terror into your heart for the first time in my life."

"You really have lost it, haven't you?" Judai said, trying to make it seem like he wasn't worried.

"Flattery will get you nowhere. Just be grateful I have no other cards in my hand, or this would end right now! Armed Dragon! Destroy that pathetic Hero!" The dragon raised its giant palm up into the air, and charged up a black-colored ball that pulsated a sickly-looking dark purple color. Manjoume pointed at Judai's monster. "Attack with Dragon Gravity Bomb!" The creature reared back and launched its giant ball of energy directly at golden minotaur. The ball hit, and grew to an enormous size, within which the Earth-based hero disappeared. Judai defended himself from the explosion, though it knocked him down to 900 LP.

"I'll give you a break for one more turn," Manjoume sneered. "When you end, however, I will eliminate you. Count on it."

Judai lowered his arms, and stared across the field. Judai turned his gaze on his deck, and raised his hand towards it. "Judai," Manjoume began, cutting the youth's concentration off, "you may as well give up. Your draw will be Burstinatrix, sealing the deal."

Judai lowered his eyes to his deck and closed his eyes. 'This looks like this is it. If I could use my Neo-Spacians, I might've had a way out of this, but seeing as I can't…'

"Yuki Judai," a voice called from his deck, "you must believe in the power of your deck."

Judai's eyes tore open. "That's right," the boy whispered, "I have no doubts!" he shouted. "My turn! Draw!" He glanced at his card, and his eyes widened. 'Unbelievable…'

Manjoume noticed his eyes widening. "It seems you now believe in the power of destiny, eh? Too bad it took so long."

"I'll set one card, and end my turn!" Judai called.

"Fine, it's my final turn! And my draw will be, White Veil!" he announced. He took a card from his deck, and stuffed it into a Magic and Trap card slot. "I equip it to my Armed Dragon!" The dragon began turning into a bright white color, beginning with the top, and ending with the monster's feet.

"No!" Areka cried.

"That will eliminate Judai's last facedown!" Misawa stated aloud

"It's over!" Fubuki shouted.

"He's through," Junko whispered.

"I can't watch!" Momoe screamed.

"He can't lose!" Kenzan hollered.

"He's about to," Edo growled.

"Aniki!" Sho shouted.

"SEE YOU IN HELL, YUKI JUDAI!" Manjoume screamed. "YOUR OBITUARY WILL READ, 'COMPLEMENTS OF MANJOUME-"HOWAITO"-SANDA'! ARMED DRAGON, ATTACK HIM DIRECTLY WITH DRAGON GRAVITY BOMB!" The dragon, doing as its master commanded of it, held up its palm and conjured up a sickly-white colored ball of unearthly energy. The group watched in disbelief, as the monster charged up what was to be Judai's last attack under his own free will.

Manjoume thrusted a finger in the direction of his opponent, commanding his dragon to finish the deed. "KILL JUDAI!"

The ball of energy pulsated. The giant, now white-colored, dragon's eyes flashed. The beast let out an extremely loud roar. It reared back and, glaring through Judai's form, sent the ball of energy careening towards Judai.

Judai stared the ball of energy with no fear whatsoever. It appeared as if he was somewhat…elated. Asuka watched with a pit growing inside her stomach. The ball inched closer and closer to the boy. The ball of energy sent out a static charge, shattering the hologram that signified Judai's last facedown.

The ball struck true, causing an enormous white-colored explosion. Judai screamed out as the explosion enveloped the boy. Manjoume roared in a maniacal laughter, confident that he had finally claimed the victory he had sought for so long. "JUDAI!!!!" Asuka cried out, feeling her heart drop from her chest deep into her body, as she watched the light emit from the explosion pulse where the boy had once stood.

**AJ**: So, Judai has been defeated.

**Bil**: What?

**AJ**: You saw…errr…read it, right? Judai lost against Manjoume. That's it, game over, done, fin, kaput.

**Bil**: Judai…lost? JUDAI LOST?!?!

**AJ**: What, disappointed?

**Bil**: DISAPPOINTED!?!?! HELL NO! I'M ECSTATIC! LET'S THROW A PARTY! EVIL FINALLY PREVAILS!!! HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO! SANDA! SANDA! HOWAITO SANDA!

**AJ**: You really got to get out more.


	39. Once More, With Feeling

**AJ**: -hides in a bush, typing on his laptop- Huh!?…Oh, it's you guys. Shh…you have to be very quiet. Bil's looking for me, and if he finds out how I'm continuing the fic, then he'll have my throat.

**Bil**: Hey! Maggot! It's time for some training!

**AJ**: …-hides further into bushes-…

Chapter 38: Once More, With Feeling 

"It's my final turn! And my draw will be, White Veil!" he announced. He took a card from his deck, and stuffed it into a Magic and Trap card slot. "I equip it to my Armed Dragon!" The dragon began turning into a bright white color, beginning with the top, and ending with the monster's feet.

"No!" Areka cried.

"That will eliminate Judai's last facedown!" Misawa stated aloud

"It's over!" Fubuki shouted.

"He's through," Junko whispered.

"I can't watch!" Momoe screamed.

"He can't lose!" Kenzan hollered.

"He's about to," Edo growled.

"Aniki!" Sho shouted.

"SEE YOU IN HELL, YUKI JUDAI!" Manjoume screamed. "YOUR OBITUARY WILL READ, 'COMPLEMENTS OF MANJOUME-"HOWAITO"-SANDA'! ARMED DRAGON, ATTACK HIM DIRECTLY WITH DRAGON GRAVITY BOMB!" The dragon, doing as its master commanded of it, held up its palm and conjured up a sickly-white colored ball of unearthly energy. The group watched in disbelief, as the monster charged up what was to be Judai's last attack under his own free will.

Manjoume thrusted a finger in the direction of his opponent, commanding his dragon to finish the deed. "KILL JUDAI!"

The ball of energy pulsated. The giant, now white-colored, dragon's eyes flashed. The beast let out an extremely loud roar. It reared back and, glaring through Judai's form, sent the ball of energy careening towards Judai.

Judai stared the ball of energy with no fear whatsoever. It appeared as if he was somewhat…elated. Asuka watched with a pit growing inside her stomach. The ball inched closer and closer to the boy. The ball of energy sent out a static charge, shattering the hologram that signified Judai's last facedown.

The ball struck true, causing an enormous white-colored explosion. Judai screamed out as the explosion enveloped the boy. Manjoume roared in a maniacal laughter, confident that he had finally claimed the victory he had sought for so long. "JUDAI!!!!" Asuka cried out, feeling her heart drop from her chest deep into her body, as she watched the light emit from the explosion pulse where the boy had once stood.

"Finally! I have defeated Judai!" Manjoume laughed.

Asuka watched the pulsating white light, where the boy had once stood. 'It was just like my vision. What will happen to him? Will he be part of the Society now? I don't think I could take him leaving again…' Asuka lowered her head, and placed her hand over her eyes and her mouth, trying to muffle the sobs that rose in her throat.

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and she turned to see whom it was. It was Edo. He was smiling warmly at the girl, making the girl blush slightly. She had never seen him ever actually 'happy', though it wasn't his fault. She knew that she was somewhat similar when her brother was missing. "You can't give up on him yet, Asuka. If I know Judai, he probably had one last trick up his sleeve," Edo told her.

"What do you mean?" the Obelisk girl sobbed.

"If that fool has taught me one thing, it's that you can't count a person out until the LP hit zero, I don't think it has, yet."

The group all looked at him, wondering what he meant. The pro watched the explosion, as it slowly faded and shrunk. 'Judai, show me the true power of that Neos deck,' the finalist mused. The rest of the group turned their gaze back at the duel. Through the smoke and debris, the silhouette of an individual stood. Manjoume. Who had been cheering, was now focusing all of his attention onto his opponent's field, especially the silhouette standing in the din.

The smoke finally faded on the edges of the silhouette, revealing a brown-haired, red-coated boy in blue jeans. The smoke revealed the boy's visage, showing that his eyes were closed. The boy was breathing rather heavily, but when the duelist opened his eyes, they emanated a confidence that only one person could give off. Judai was still in business. His Life Point meter on his duel disk showed he still had 400 Life Points left.

"Aniki! He's alright!" Sho cheered.

"I don't believe it," Misawa breathed.

"Heh," Fubuki chuckled, "he is quite the guy."

"Judai!" Asuka happily cried.

"I told you. That trap was a semi-bluff, as it would only work under certain conditions. What Manjoume took for eyes widening in surprise, was not surprise of failure, but surprise of glee," Edo informed them

"WHAT!?…HOW DID…WHEN DID…?!?!" Manjoume stuttered madly. "Impossible!!!"

"Try full sentences, Manjoume!" Judai stated.

"How do you still have Life Points Left!?" Manjoume shouted angrily.

"What? Oh, that. Yeah, well, you see, I ought to thank _you_ for that. Because of you, I received and I activated my nifty little trap, Heroic Sacrifice!" Judai called.

"You couldn't activate your Trap! White Veil destroyed it when my Armed Dragon attacked! You never activated it!" Manjoume argued.

"Yes I did, because this Trap is a special one. It can only be activated while it is in the Graveyard. It allows me to discard an Elemental Hero from my hand to the graveyard, and then I choose either the monster's attack or defense value of the monster. Finally I gain Life Points equal to the selected value. You gave it to me with your Level Modulation; then you destroyed it with your White Veil. Ironic that the only reason I'm around is due to your mistakes," Judai joked.

"But there's not a card in your deck that could've increased your LP high enough! Burstinatrix's highest value is 1200, and Necroshade's is 1800!" Manjoume continued.

"You're forgetting one very important Hero," Judai smiled, closing his eyes in pride.

"No way! You mean to say…!" Manjoume breathed.

"The Hero I drew on my last turn, and discarded, was Elemental Hero Neos!" Judai declared. "With an extra 2500 Life Points, I was able to survive your attack!"

"But! Saiou-sama said that they had lost your trust! When did you regain it!?!" Manjoume inquired.

"To be honest? I don't know myself," Judai informed his rival. "But when I placed my hand on my deck, a voice told me to believe in the power in my deck. I had no doubts that I would get exactly what I needed right from the start!" the boy confidently stated.

Manjoume growled at this statement. "I don't believe this. My greatest enemy evaded the greatest of moves. I was so close!" He frowned, and stated the words he didn't want to hear himself say after a play like that, "Turn, end."

"Manjoume," Judai began, catching the boy's attention, "you misunderstand the situation. I don't consider you an enemy. I told you, I am new and improved. I don't consider you, the Society, or even Saiou-san an enemy. My one and only enemy from the start has been the Light of Ruin! My turn, Draw!"

He smirked at his draw. He placed the card in his hand, and chose his other card. "I activate the Field Spell, Skyscraper II: Hero City!" All around the duel field, futuristic buildings sprang up and towered over the two duelists and the Armed Dragon standing in the middle of it. "This card allows me to special summon an Elemental Hero from my graveyard once per turn, regardless of its summoning conditions! I'll bring back Elemental Hero Neos!" The Hero appeared in the sky of the city, and slowly descended to the ground in front of Judai.

The hero turned and glanced at Judai. "It is good to have you back, Chosen One," it said.

"Good to have you trust back," the boy replied. He turned his gaze upon his opponent.

"Congratulations, you managed to summon a strong monster! Too bad that it's still too weak to defeat my Armed Dragon!" Manjoume sneered.

"I still have one card in my hand, Manjoume," the boy informed his opponent. "I activate the Magic card, Contact Soul! I can only activate this card when an Elemental Hero Neos is on my field. With it, I can special summon from my deck one Neo-Spacian! I'll choose Flare Scarab!" The alien hero speared in a pillar of fire onto the field next to Neos.

"Next, I'm gonna summon a new hero!" Judai declared. "Neos! Flare Scarab! You guys all set up there?" the boy inquired. The two monsters responded with a slight nod. "Then go, Neos, Flare Scarab! Contact Fusion, Activate!" The two heroes leapt high into the air, and merged in a reddish-white light. "I return Neos and Flare Scarab to my deck, in order to Special Summon from my Fusion deck, Elemental Hero Flare Neos!" The black and orange, winged hero descended to the ground in front of Judai.

Manjoume grimaced. "Now, I activate Flare Neos's effect, he gains 400 attack points for every Magic or Trap card on the field! And since you have White Veil and Dragon Rage and I have my Field Spell active, that equals a 1200 point boost, all the way up to 3700!" The monster glowed with an orange light, before flames began emitting from the Hero's body.

"No!" Manjoume cried. "I won't lose! I can't lose!"

"Manjoume, it is time, for you to come back to us!" Judai announced. "Flare Neos, attack his Armed Dragon with Erupting Flare Burst!" The Hero leapt into the air above the towering buildings. The hero powered up a giant fireball above the creature's head, and launched it down towards Manjoume's creature. Manjoume watched the fireball approach in terror, and roared in anger as the fireball struck and incinerated his monster.

The giant fireball enveloped the creature and its master, and whittled Manjoume's LP down to zero. The boy slumped to his knees, and to the ground, unconscious. The holograms disappeared, and the crowd erupted in applause and cheers at the amazing back-and-forth battle.

Judai let out a deep sigh of relief, and wiped the perspiration on his brow. "Wow, what a duel," he breathed.

"Aniki!" Sho and Kenzan called, as the leapt off the barricade, and charged at the boy. They tackled the youth, and began laughing with glee. Judai laughed along with them, happy that he had won the duel, gotten his friend back, and saved Asuka. It had been a long day.

The group stood around the three boys who laughed insanely at the victory, before Judai finally fought them off. He got up, and saw the rest of his friends. He smiled warmly at them all.

Asuka looked at the boy, almost in tears. "Judai," she breathed. Judai smirked at her, and gave her a thumbs-up. Then he frowned, as something was missing.

'Wait, there's still one more,' the boy mused. He turned and looked over at Manjoume.

The boy began shaking, and opened his eyes. Slowly, Manjoume picked himself up off the ground. He held his head. "Ugh, what happened…?" he muttered under his breath.

"Manjoume!" Judai called.

"Sanda," Manjoume corrected. He looked around. "What…what am I doing here?" He absentmindedly looked down. "And why'm I in these crappy white clothes!?!" he demanded.

The group smiled and let out a soft chuckle. "He's back!" they all stated in unison.

Manjoume confusingly stared at them. "Back? I left?"

"It's a long story, Manjoume," Judai told him.

"How many times do I have to tell you, it's Sanda!" Manjoume told him. "And I have plenty of time, so let's hear it!"

They were all cut off by a loud screeching over the intercom. "Congratulations, Finalists!" a voice stated.

"That's Principal Samejima!" Fubuki said.

"You have all advanced into the Final Four duelists of this tournament. We shall start tomorrow morning immediately after breakfast. Ten O'clock sharp, everyone! Tonight, however, you had all best get some sleep and rest you voices. As good as these duels were, I'd assume, quite accurately most likely, that the upcoming ones will even be better!"

"Alright," Judai yawned, "Let's go get some shut-eye."

"Are you nuts, Aniki?" Kenzan questioned.

Judai looked at them. "What do you mean?

"You just won one of the greatest duels in recent memory! This calls for a celebration!" Areka called.

"What?" Judai cocked an eyebrow.

"PARTY AT ASUKA'S!" Fubuki announced.

"Great idea!" Junko agreed.

"Let's go!" Momoe declared.

"Oh, no you don't!" Asuka told him. "That's my dorm, and I'd like to keep it clean, thank you very much!"

"Oh, come one, sis! You gotta let loose every once in a while!" the sibling told his sister.

"If you want to party, then do so somewhere else, but keep it out of my room!"

"Oh, come one, don't you want to celebrate Judai's victory over the Society of Light!?" Fubuki questioned. "PWEEEEEAAASE!?" The sibling gave Asuka sad puppy-dog eyes. Junko and Momoe joined him, and pretty soon, Areka, Sho, and Kenzan had joined them.

'No, it's the evil puppy-dog eyes!' Asuka mused. 'I can't refuse those eyes…' She grumbled at Fubuki's knowledge of her one weakness. She sighed deeply, and finally whispered, "As long as you're gone by midnight."

"ALRIGHT! LET'S LIVE IT UP!" Fubuki declared.

A cold, haughty laughter cut the celebration short. The group whirled around, and caught the sight of Judai's next opponent.

"Kaiser," Judai curtly stated.

The pro walked up to Judai, and looked the boy in the face. "Well, well, Judai. Excellent duel. Too bad your celebration will have to end so suddenly, as I will defeat you in the next round," the pro informed the Osiris Hero, matter-of-factly.

"Wait till tomorrow, Kaiser," Judai told him flatly.

The pro smirked haughtily at the boy, before walking off. Judai glared at the older boy as he strutted away. Edo walked up next to Judai. "You'll have to be extra careful with that one," the pro said. "He'll be extremely tough to handle."

Judai nodded, and looked to the side at the boy next to him. "You be careful, too. Saiou is not one to be messed with." The schoolboy began grinning at the youth next to him. "Remember, our rematch is still slated to headline this whole thing, as we promised."

"I haven't forgotten," Edo told the boy, returning the grin with his own confident smirk. "We have to determine whose heroes are greatest. Our next duel will decide that."

"You can bet on that wager," Judai replied.

"C'MON GUYS!" Fubuki called, breaking the seriousness of the mood. "WE'RE GONNA PARTY TILL THE SUN COMES UP!"

"No, you're not! I told you, over by midnight!" Asuka stated.

"Give her some sake, she won't remember her curfew!" Fubuki announced. They all began laughing at the statement, and began chortling even harder at Asuka's blush and death-glare, as she began chasing Fubuki all the way back to the Osiris dorm.

**AJ**: Very good chapter. I'm happy with the overall turnout of the chapter, as well as the duel, though it went on a bit longer than I expected. It wouldn't have, but I cut the last chapter short. Sorry, but I figured that the duel needed to be cut right there.

**Bil**: -lowers self from tree branch behind Jade- Maggot…

**AJ**: O.O;;;;;

**Bil**: I found you…

**AJ**: Now…now…master, I can explain…

**Bil**: No need, it's obvious you went against your master's wishes, and changed the ending of the duel from how I wanted it…PREPARE YOURSELF! –charges forward-

**AJ**: Bye, folks! See you at the next chapter! –Runs off with a screaming Bil chasing him from behind-


	40. To Hell and Back

**AJ**: Welcome back for another chapter in my fanfic. Coming up is, obvious to anyone following the story, the greatest rematch of the century, other than Edo and Judai, Ryo, now called Hell Kaiser, and Judai. I doubt you will all like the end I have planned for this one, but believe you me; I have a purpose for it so don't kill me.

**Bil**: Dear God, Manjoume was bad enough, but you're going to do this to Kaiser!?!?!

**AJ**: Hell Kaiser, actually.

**Bil**: Whatever. You suck, let's just leave it at that.

Chapter 39: To Hell and Back 

The party went on throughout the night, till long past midnight. It wasn't because of Asuka's drinks being spiked, however. Fubuki tried that, but somehow through a random turn of events, Areka got the liquored drink, and had become quite hyper afterwards. He thought it best not to attempt such a feat again.

Rather, the party had died down at about midnight, when Areka had finally decided to stop bouncing off the walls, and the depressant part of the alcohol had set in, but the group stayed, watching old Kaiser duels, to help Judai prepare for the duel. Judai, however, was less than interested in learning about Ryo's tendencies.

"I don't care about Kaiser's Cyber Dark Dragon deck!" Judai insisted.

"Aniki, you need to study up on Ryo. He already has an advantage by seeing you duel against Manjoume!" Sho informed him. "Not to mention he didn't have to go through a tiring duel such as you!"

"So what? If anything, you're convincing me to take a nap," the boy retorted.

"Unreal," Misawa breathed, "it's like trying to get a child to take a shot…"

"SHOTS!?!?!" Judai shouted. "WHERE!?" Everyone watched the boy's antics in disbelief.

"I think I liked it better when he was serious…" Junko muttered. Momoe would've smacked her, as Asuka was right next to her, but Asuka smiled at her, and giggled.

Judai suddenly stopped. He and Edo turned their eyes to the door. "It seems we have company," the Osiris duelist said seriously. The group became slightly surprised at the boy's sudden change in demeanor. Judai walked to the door, and twisted the knob, slowly opening the door.

Standing there was Hell Kaiser. "May I help you?" Judai inquired, treating the man like a stranger.

"That how you treat an old friend?" the pro asked.

"My friend treated his opponents and friends with respect," Judai responded, though emotionlessly. "You have done neither of those for some time. Again, is there something I can do for you?"

"Just wanted to wish you good luck for our duel tomorrow," Ryo said, matter-of-factly.

Judai was slightly surprised by the man statements. By this time, Asuka, Fubuki, and Sho had approached the door, wondering whom Judai was talking to. They gained dark looks on their faces when they saw who was there. "Kaiser," Fubuki coldly greeted.

"I can tell I'm absolutely _loved_ here," Kaiser sneered, uncaring of their feelings.

"No thanks to your attitude," Fubuki shot back, getting fired up rather quickly.

"You don't want to push your luck, Blizzard King," Ryo answered coolly.

Fubuki stepped forward, when Asuka and Sho held him back. Sho turned around and looked sadly at his brother. "Onii-san, why are you so cold? What happened to your 'respect-duel' philosophy?" Sho inquired. Judai looked rather interested as well.

Kaiser looked at his brother with a frown, which slowly transformed into an arrogant smirk. He began to chuckle before bursting into an all-out laughter. Judai frowned at the man's blow-off response to his younger brother's question. The man quieted down and grinned confidently. "Why? Why am I so cold? What has happened to my philosophy?" Kaiser repeated mockingly. "I'll tell you, since you seem so eager to listen. Truth be told, it was necessary, necessary to survive."

"Survive?" Asuka inquired.

Kaiser nodded. "It was necessary to survive, in my first and only Underground duel."

The group gasped in surprise. "When did you duel in one of those?" Judai asked, louder than he wanted to.

"Perhaps I can explain," Edo stated, walking up to them. "When I defeated this man, as I'm sure you all heard, Kaiser, here, went onto a long running losing streak. He lost everything, his sponsor, his fans, the respect of his opponents, all of it gone in an instant."

"Yeah, thanks to you. Glad to see you care," Kaiser fired back.

"In all honesty? A real pro would've rebounded in a short amount of time, Ryo," Edo remarked. "But you couldn't, you even began losing to opponents who shouldn't have been holding a candle to you."

Kaiser growled at the insult. "Leave me alone. You have no idea what I went through while in the Underground Dueling League," the pro duelist retorted, extremely annoyed by the youth's taunts.

"Then tell us, what did you go through?" Judai inquired.

"While I was walking down the street after I had just met my sponsor, who had made himself happy in his fat, money-loving lifestyle by relieving me of my duties as his duelist, I met another sponsor named Monkey Saruyama," the man explained.

'Saruyama?' Judai mused. 'Why does that name sound so familiar…'

"He pulled me aside, and told me he saw much strength in me, but I didn't know how to draw it out. He offered to sponsor me, but in exchange, I had to follow him and duel in 'his arena'. I had nothing else left for me, so what else could I do? I went along with his little game, to an arena underneath an enormous skyscraper. There, I was locked in a cage, with another duelist, and was forced to duel. The people who watched us treated us, treated me, like animals, as if I were some tool in their never-ending lust for pleasure!" Ryo spoke, driving himself into a rage.

"Kaiser…" Asuka whispered.

"Back then, in that duel, I dueled with my opponent's respect and well-being in mind, but the more I dueled that way, the more I was attacked. The more I was driven down by the electricity, each time making it harder for myself to get back up. I finally was backed into a wall where I had to make a decision…"

"_Multiple Slime, attack his Proto-Cyber Dragon!" The Slime monster shot a giant sludge ball directly at the machine monster and destroyed it. Ryo roared in agony, as he was electrocuted again. The young man dropped to one knee. "I'll set two, and leave it to you."_

_Saruyama began laughing ecstatically. "Kaiser, the crowd and I enjoy seeing you in this much pain. You really are the dropout of the Pro Duelist's League! You're only fit to duel here, in this hell-hole called the Underground!"_

"_I'm tired of your games, Saruyama! I want out of here! NOW!" Kaiser demanded._

"_The only way to get out of this, is to win," Saruyama responded flatly._

"_I only have 300 Life Points left! And I can't draw a Machine-type monster, because I'll lose!" Kaiser retorted angrily._

"_It's about time you start worrying about your needs! Think about your past, you've been called Kaiser all your life and dueling came so naturally to you, that you lost your drive to win! You always assume winning would be handed to you on a silver platter, yet you never strove for the victory! Now, you must win this, or you can say good-bye for eternity to all your glory and honor, well, what little of it is left anyway! You can only survive in the real world by winning, and doing so by any means necessary, by stepping on anyone in your way!"_

"_I want to win the way I always have, with respect for my opponent!" Kaiser remarked, annoyed._

_Saruyama frowned at the man's persistence. "You fool! Then you can lose in disgrace, like you will continue to do! Life is concerned with winning. Its survival of the fittest, the most basic of life's laws! It's kill or be killed! If you continue to do duel as you do now, then go ahead and lose already, as you're making yourself look like a bigger moron than you already have!"_

_Kaiser flared an evil glare at Saruyama. "Me? Lose? No way."_

"_I've had enough of this! It's my turn! And since it's been two turns, my capsule comes back, giving me the card within it!" A rectangular-shaped light began glowing in the man's hand, which transformed into a card. "Now, I play Power Bond! With this card I can fuse Machine-type Fusion-Material monsters in my hand and on my field like Polymerization, but unlike Polymerization, my monster's attack points are doubled!"_

"_But you have no monsters in your hand or your on field!" Inukai reminded the man._

"_Thanks for stating the obvious, Fool! I'm chaining this to it, My Quick-Play Spell, Cybernetic Fusion Support! If I have Fusion-Material Machine-type monsters in my graveyard, I can pay half of my Life Points to remove them from the Graveyard, and use this card as a substitute! So I remove my three Cyber Dragons, and summon forth Cyber End Dragon!" The three-headed machine dragon appeared on the field._

"_Not so fast! I activate Slime Hole! I activate this card when a monster is Special Summoned Then I gain the attack points of the monster, and the creature is destroyed!" Cyber End Dragon exploded in a blinding flash, and a green light surrounded Inukai, raising his LP to 15000. "Now, my victory is assured," Inukai triumphantly declared._

"_No," Kaiser coldly stated._

"_No? What do you mean 'no'? You have 150 Life Points, and I have 15000! Face it, it's over for you!"_

"_NO! NO, I REFUSE TO LOSE!" Kaiser declared loud and angrily, as if telling the entire world. "I DON'T CARE HOW I WIN ANYMORE, BUT I WILL DO SO BY DEFEATING YOU! I REALIZE NOW, DUELING BY RESPECT, I WAS ONLY CHEATING MYSELF! I ONLY CARED ABOUT DUELING WITH RESPECT FOR MY OPPONENT, NOT CARING HOW I DID! BUT NO LONGER! I THIRST FOR THE WIN, I HUNGER FOR VICTORY, AND I WILL STEAL THAT THIRST AND HUNGER FROM YOU, NO, FROM ANYONE, IN ORDER TO SURVIVE!! TRAP CARD, OPEN! CALL OF THE HAUNTED!"_

"_With this card, I can Special Summon a monster from my graveyard to my field! I choose Proto-Cyber Dragon! Next, I activate Overload Fusion! With this card, I can remove Fusion-Material Machine-Type monsters from my field and graveyard to Fusion Summon a monster from my Graveyard!" Kaiser explained. "So, I remove Proto-Cyber Dragon, Cyber Giraffe, Cyber Dragon, Cyber Laser Dragon, Cyber Barrier Dragon, and Cyber End Dragon to summon Chimera-Tech Overdragon!" A giant evil-looking dragon appeared on the field, loomed on the field, with six heads._

"_What…is that!?!?!" Inukai wondered aloud._

"_Your worst nightmare. I can only summon this card by sacrificing a Cyber Dragon plus any other Machine monsters I choose! This card gains 800 attack points for each card used to summon it! Now, my Dragon, attack that pathetic monster! Chimera Rage!" One head of the dragon opened its mouth, and fired a stream of energy straight to the creature, destroying it and reducing Inukai's Life Points by 3300._

"_Now, my monster's effect activates! I get to Special Summon three Slime tokens in attack mode! Next, I activate Trap Trip! With this, I can place one Trap into my hand! I'll bring back your worst nightmare, Acidic Rust Machine Virus!" Inukai smirked greedily at his opponent. "What will you do, now, Kaiser?"_

"_Now? Now, I will win this!" Inukai and Saruyama both looked at the man in awe and wonder. "Chimera-Tech Overdragon has another ability; he can attack a number of times equal to the number of monsters I sacrificed for him! Chimera-Tech Overdragon! Destroy that Fool!" The other five dragonheads opened fires, destroying the man's field in an enormous explosion. Kaiser laughed maniacally watching the flames subside and seeing the man cringe in pain and anguish._

"…and that's what happened. From that point on, I vowed that I would win by any means necessary, and will defeat any opponent to savor that taste. That is why I came to tell you good luck, because you're going to need it. Once I get started, I cannot be stopped," Kaiser told the youth. There was no anger in his face anymore, however. His face was full of glee, as if he was given the greatest present of his life.

Judai stared at the man he once respected as a peer, but now had disliked for his new manner, but now he had an idea of why the man acted as he now did. "Kaiser," Judai began, "I understand your pain. How you were alone, and the only satisfaction you could find was in victory. But one question remains in my mind. You have rejected all forms of friendship and alliance, correct?"

"Indeed, I don't need anyone to hold me back," Kaiser announced haughtily.

"Then I have one question for you," Judai said. "What will you do when you lose?"

Kaiser was taken aback slightly by the boy's question. He had never thought about that before. He thought about it, but then slowly a grin grew on his face. He began to cackle, before breaking out into an enormous laughter. Judai glared at the man, awaiting for the man's answer.

"That's simple," Kaiser answered. "I _won't_ lose."

Judai sighed. "You obviously don't understand the question, or rather, you don't wish to understand the question. I'll wait for your answer tomorrow before our duel. If you can't discover the answer to that simple question, then you really have become 'Hell Kaiser'."

With that Judai walked back into the room and closed the door quietly behind him. He sat back on the couch and began watching the tapes of Kaiser's old duels much more seriously. The others watched the boy with great interest, impressed that someone who acted in his manner could come up with something so deep.

'Kaiser,' Judai thought, 'this duel has just been given a lot more meaning. I must win, not only for the world, but for you as well. Perhaps if I can defeat you outright, then you will discover the answer to my question. The one that took me more than 12 years to find an answer for.'

Kaiser angrily stalked back to his room in the Obelisk dorm. "What a stupid question, what will I do when I lose," the man thought aloud. "I haven't lost a duel yet since my duel against Inukai, I don't intend to lose now." He growled, running the question over through his mind.

'He's just trying to psyche me out, make me over-think the situation,' Kaiser mused, smirking. 'I'm no Hamlet, I react when it is called for! Yuki Judai, tomorrow will be my greatest triumph yet, when I finally eliminate you!' He grinned maliciously, and began to laugh maniacally at the thought of his final great victory.

**AJ**: So there's Chapter 39. The big 4-O will start the duel between Kaiser and Judai.

**Bil**: _Hell_ Kaiser, moron.

**AJ**: You're really into this, aren't you?

**Bil**: Anything to force you to make HK a winner.

**AJ**: Actually, I think you just want Judai to lose.

**Bil**: Well there's that, too.

**AJ**: -shakes head- Next, **Chapter 40: Fallen Monarch**. See you then, guys!


	41. Fallen Monarch

**AJ**: Here's Chapter 40 of the hottest story in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX section of You arrogant Fool. You'll turn everyone against your story before you even shun them with your crappy duel between Judai and Kaiser.

**AJ**: Yeah, you're right. I doubt this story is read as much as most others, anyway. Well, back to the chapter. As Bil says, this duel left a bad taste in my mouth, and most likely will do so to yours, and I'll explain after you see the end of it the second reason I made it like that. The first, as I've stated before, is actually a build up for my next series, which I guess would be Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Season 2.5.

**Bil**: It's a crappy build-up.

**AJ**: That will all depend on if my plan will go off with the greatness I hope it would…we'll just have to see about that one.

Chapter 40: Fallen Monarch 

Judai awoke the next day with a start, and stretched in his bunk. He yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes, before climbing out of his bed and onto the floor. He made a mental note that Manjoume and Kenzan had already left, so it was ok to make some noise. He walked over to the sink, and splashed his face with some cold water to awaken himself. 'Kaiser, did you find your answer?' Judai wondered.

His thoughts were cut off by a knock at the door. Judai, absentmindedly, walked over to the door and opened it. He saw Asuka's face smiling warmly at him. "Hello Jud----ai…" She suddenly got slightly red in the face.

"Hey Asuka, what's up?" He noticed she was a little red in the face, and became slightly worried. "You ok?" He looked at what she was staring at, and an embarrassed grin grew onto his face. "Oh…whoops…I better toss on a shirt…Gimme a moment." He closed the door, and in an instant had on a black undershirt and switched his flannel pajama bottoms for some jeans.

He walked over back to the door and opened it. "Sorry about that," he embarrassingly apologized, "just not used to being greeted by a female this early in the morning." Asuka nodded, accepting his apology. They stood there with an awkward silence, before Judai finally said, "Uhhh…want to come in for some tea or something?"

"But don't you want to eat?" Asuka asked.

"Naw, I'm good," Judai grinned goofily. Asuka realized he had Kaiser's transformation and his upcoming duel on his mind, as Judai never skipped a meal if he could help it. "I'll just have some tea. You want any?" he asked again.

"Sure, that's fine," Asuka said. She stepped into the boy's Dorm room. She sat down at the boy's small makeshift table and desk. Judai busied himself warming the water, and placing the leaves in a sifting container. They stood in silence for a while, when Asuka placed her head on her hand and looked out the window, watching the spring weather warm up the world around her.

Judai poured the tea into cups, turned around, and saw her sitting there. He stalled at the picture. He gazed at the young woman, as she looked out the window; the sun's rays reflecting off her hair and glimmering in her eyes. She gained a beautiful, near-holy radiance that caused Judai to wish he had a camera, or a painter, to keep the scene just like that forever. She almost looked like an angel.

She turned and looked at Judai, and realized he was staring at her. He immediately snapped back to reality, his face a deep shade of red, and quickly walked over to her, setting her cup onto the table. "Thank you," she said, and began sipping her tea. Her eyes widened in surprise and pleasure. "Wow, this is great! What did you put in it?"

Judai lowered his eyes in embarrassment at the complement, and muttered, "Just a little sugar and honey." He sipped his tea, trying not to meet the girl's eyes so he wouldn't be sucked into them again. Asuka blinked at the boy's nervousness, but brushed it off.

After a few more moments of silence, Asuka's eyes traveled to the boy's bandaged right arm. She frowned, remembering how he had been injured, and asked, "How's your arm?"

Judai looked at her inquisitively, as if he wondered what she meant. In truth, he had been so used to his arm being in a bandage, that he had forgotten it was injured and that it was still in need of healing. "Don't worry about it. It feels more like a big rug burn than anything else now," he reassured her.

Asuka didn't really believe him, but decided she best not push the subject. She decided to ask, "How do you think you'll do against Kaiser?"

Judai sighed. He looked at the girl and gave a reassuring smile. "I'm not sure, but I know I have to win. Not only to advance to the Finals, but to get the old Kaiser back."

"You think you will have that much trouble?" Asuka pressed.

"Let's see, how should I say this," the boy wondered aloud. After a moment, he answered, "I think Edo put it correctly when he said, 'he has a fire he didn't have in our last duel'. I think that, to get the old Kaiser back, I need to beat that new fire. I think I may have to do it outright, too. But I may have to just find a way to win. First, we have no idea just how powerful that deck of his really is, and that new attitude of his probably thrives off of that power. He needs to be forced to see that power isn't everything. More importantly, he needs to find an answer to the question I posed to him last night. If he can't find that, he may be beyond help, at least for the time being. If that happens, I may have to bypass him, and win in a slightly underhanded way. Not to my liking, but I have to make it to the championship round, as I'll either be facing Edo or Saiou."

Asuka listened intently, especially to his disgust at the last. "But, what if this is your only chance to get him to see reason?" Asuka inquired,

"There's the rub," Judai whispered, placing the cup to his lips and sipping. "I don't want to miss this chance. I can't bear seeing Sho sad any longer simply because he's worried about his brother. But I also have to worry about the Light of Ruin. It would be an easier decision if my duel wasn't first, but…" He cut himself off with another sip of his cup.

Asuka finally stood up. "I'm sure you'll do it, Judai!" Asuka resounded. Judai jumped slightly at the sudden movement. "You have never disappointed anyone before, and I believe in you!"

Judai smiled at the girl. "That means a lot to me," Judai replied. 'More than you'll probably ever know,' he mentally noted.

Asuka reached her hand out to him. "So let's go and meet the others!" she declared. Judai nodded and grabbed the hand.

Judai realized instantly it was a big mistake. His body instantly went numb, as if electricity went through his body. Asuka lost the feeling in her body, as well, and just gazed at the young boy. Judai finally stood up, and Asuka, who hadn't really noticed his height since last year, muttered to herself, 'He's slightly taller than I am…!'

The two looked at each other, and felt their faces flush. The two couldn't tear each other's gaze away. They just stood there, holding each other's hand, and slowly, subconsciously, moved towards one another.

The door slammed open. "Aniki!" Sho called from outside. The two instantly, though reluctantly, released their grip on their hands and regained the grip on their emotions. "It's almost time for your duel!" the blue-haired boy announced.

"I'll be right there, Sho!" Judai stated.

Sho walked in the room and immediately saw Asuka. "Hello, Asuka-san!" Sho happily greeted. Asuka just nodded slightly, smiling at the boy. Sho looked at the two. "What's up? You both look nervous," Sho questioned.

"We were just talking about Judai's upcoming duel," Asuka told the youth. "I came to make sure he was up, when he invited me in."

Judai nodded in agreement. "I made some tea, if you want some," Judai told the boy, as he grabbed his red jacket and shoved his arms through the sleeves; his right arm through a little slower than the left. He pulled the jacket over his shoulders and tugged on it to tighten it over his arms and shoulders. He grabbed his duel disk, and slid his deck into the deck holster on his belt. He turned his gaze over to his two friends, and gave them his trademark goofy grin.

Asuka smiled, but on the inside his, grin had actually hurt the girl. It was a nervous, sad grin, full of fatigue and secrecy. He had never shown that in any expression of his before, and it worried the girl. 'What's he thinking about? What's he hiding?' she wondered, as she glanced at him.

Judai tied his shoes on, and sighed heavily. 'I gotta put Asuka out of my mind. I'm only 16; I don't have the capacity to 'love' yet. Besides, she's an Obelisk, and I'll always be an Osiris. I've got more important things to worry about right now.' He finished tying his shoes, and stood up. He looked at Sho and Asuka, before saying, "Shall we?"

The two nodded, and they all stepped outside onto the wooden porch. They walked down the steps and onto the ground, when Fubuki, Areka, Junko, Momoe, Kenzan, Manjoume, and Misawa all ran up to them. "It's about time you got up, slug!" Manjoume snapped.

Judai rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh…Sorry…" he breathed. He turned his head from side to side, but noticed someone was missing. "Hey, where's Edo…?"

"He went on ahead," Areka said. "Tired of waiting for you, I suppose," the girl joked.

Judai chuckled slightly, before beginning the walk to the school. The others followed behind him. Soon they arrived at the front entrance, where Judai's friends were pushed aside to make room for a new group of people. The youth was immediately swamped by reporters, asking him questions, some of which that had nothing to do with the upcoming duel.

"How do you think you'll do against Hell Kaiser?"

"Can your Elemental Heroes stand up against Hell Kaiser's Cyber Dark cards?"

"What's your favorite color?"

"Which card in your deck is your favorite?"

"Who do you think is going to win between Edo and Saiou?"

"Alright, that's enough, ladies and gentlemen," Samejima stated from behind the press. "You can ask him more questions later. Right now, let him focus on his duel."

The crowd dispersed, and Judai breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks for the help," Judai told the man.

"Don't mention it. Actually, I wanted to talk to you," Samejima replied. He looked at the rest of the group, and continued, "Alone."

Judai looked at the principal questioningly. "Why…?"

"Don't worry, Aniki," Sho told him.

"Yeah, we need to get good seats for your duel, anyways," Fubuki said, and with that the group left.

Samejima beckoned the boy to follow him, and Judai jogged to catch up alongside of the teacher, and walked with the man. "So, what do you need to speak to me about?" Judai inquired.

"It's about Kaiser," Samejima answered. "I'm sure you noticed his recent behavior, correct?" Judai nodded. "One of the reasons for this tournament was an attempt to get Kaiser back to his original self, the way he was before he lost to Edo. I don't blame Edo for any of it, and neither should you. I thought Kaiser was strong enough to rebound from anything, but the desire to win within him consumed his desire to respect others. It will slowly overtake him, and never again will he be aligned with anyone, just searching out people in an attempt to search for his ultimate victory."

"I understand," Judai responded. "The two of us met…several times over the last month."

"I knew that the only ones to get Kaiser back would be you or Sho. Apparently he doesn't even respect his younger brother anymore. Judai, it is up to you, to force Kaiser to realize he is wrong."

"I will do my best. But I have bigger things on my plate," Judai said.

"I know," Samejima said. "Just, do your best to get Kaiser back to normal."

"Will do," Judai stated.

"Yuki Judai, Marufuji Ryo, would you please meet at the duel arena for your match?" a woman's voice over the intercom stated flatly.

"I intend to defeat Kaiser, count on it," Judai assured the elder man. With the last, he began marching to the arena

Judai walked through the opening leading to the arena, and heard a mix of cheers and boos. He didn't respond to any of them, instead focusing his attention on the person stationed in the middle of the duel field, awaiting to shuffle decks with.

While Judai slowly approached the center of the field, the rest of the group settled themselves into seats in the front row of the arena. "C'mon, Aniki!" Kenzan cheered. "Take him down!"

"This should be interesting," Fubuki muttered.

"Indeed," Misawa stated, "the last time these two fought, Kaiser pushed Judai to the edge, but Judai was able to stay alive and ultimately force a tie. This time, however, a tie won't work. Judai has to win, and do so outright."

"I doubt he will," Manjoume said. The group glared at him, and he felt himself shrink to a minuscule size.

"Leave Judai alone!" Areka snapped.

"Yeah, Aniki had to clean up your mess," Sho added.

"You cheer for Judai!" Momoe ordered.

"He needs all the help he can get right now, and we're going to give it to him!" Junko screeched.

Manjoume shrunk back into his seat and smiled nervously. "B-but of course…!" he breathed.

"Judai," Kaiser greeted.

"Kaiser," Judai returned. "Find an answer to my question, yet?"

"I'd rather leave the pleasantries for another time. Let's just shuffle our decks and get going with this, alright?"

Judai took his deck out of its holder and handed it to Ryo, and Ryo did the same. The two decks were shuffled, and they took their positions at opposite ends of the duel field. "Ready?" the pro called eagerly.

"Let's go!" Judai replied.

"DUEL!!!!" 

"I'll go, Draw!" Ryo tore a card from his deck, and placed it with the rest of his cards, before selecting another. "I'll summon Troop Dragon in defense mode!"

"That's it?!" Judai wondered aloud. "Fine, Draw! I summon Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in attack mode! Flame Burst his monster!" he commanded. The woman hero ignited a ball of fire within her hand, and sent a series of them at the dragon across the field. The monster disintegrated in a cloud of dust.

"You just activated my monster's effect. When Troop Dragon is destroyed in battle, I get to special summon another one from my deck to my field! I will do so in defense mode!"

"I'll set one, and end!" Judai declared.

"Fine, Draw! I'll summon Cyber Dark Horn in attack mode!" Kaiser announced.

"He's already got a Cyber Dark monster on the field!" Fubuki shouted.

"This isn't good," Misawa grunted.

"Judai," Asuka breathed.

"When this card is summoned, I can equip one level three or lower Dragon monster that is in either of our graveyards. Then, this card gains an attack equal to the attack points of the equipped monster! I'll equip from my graveyard, the Troop Dragon!" The Troop Dragon appeared underneath the Cyber Dark monster. The robotic creature clamped onto the dragon, and connected several wires and IV cords, extracting energy from the creature like a parasite. The robot's attack rose to 1500.

"What…is that thing doing?!" Areka gasped.

"Sucking out its strength," Sho muttered angrily, already seeing this before.

"That's horrible!" Momoe shrieked.

"Kaiser! Have you reduced yourself to using your creatures as tools!?" Judai demanded.

"They work well for me either way, as you'll now see! Cyber Dark Horn! Attack Burstinatrix!" The creature charged up a yellow-colored ball of energy, and sent it careening into Burstinatrix. The Hero disappeared in a pillar of yellow energy.

Judai shielded his view from being damaged by the bright light. "Burst…" the boy sorrowfully muttered. "I'll activate my Trap, Hero Signal! With this, I can special summon one Elemental Hero monster from my deck that's Level Four or lower after a monster on my field has been destroyed in battle. So, come out Sparkman! In attack mode!"

"Tch, Fine. I'll set one and end."

"Draw! I'll equip the Spell Spark Blaster to Sparkman! This card allows me to switch the battle position of monsters on the field. I can only use this effect three times, however. I'll switch Troop Dragon to attack mode!" The Hero pointed the pistol at his enemy, and fired a charged bolt, forcing the creature to stand up.

"Sparkman! Destroy his Troop Dragon!" A burst of electricity was all it took to incinerate Ryo's creature, and knock him down 900 points.

"Troop Dragon's effect activates again, so I special summon another one from my deck in defense mode!"

'What's he playing at here?' Judai wondered. "I'll summon Clayman in defense mode and end," he said.

"Draw! First, I activate Graceful Charity! With this, I draw three cards, while discarding two!" He drew his three and stuffed into his graveyard Red-Eyes Black Chick and Rare Metal Dragon. "Next, I activate my facedown, Call of the Haunted! With this, I can bring back one monster from my graveyard, and I'll choose, Rare Metal Dragon!"

"Third, I'll summon forth Cyber Dark Edge! And like his brother, he gains a monster, too! So I'll equip him with the Red-Eyes Black Chick!" the small dragon was clamped onto and began to have its energy drained. "Finally, I'll attack Sparkman with Rare Metal Dragon!" The giant creature charged forth, and smashed Sparkman into the ground. Judai grunted as he took 800 points of damage.

"And I still have one more attack. Due to my Edge's effect, I can reduce its attack points by half, and attack you directly! Cyber Dark Edge, attack his Life Points directly!" The creature charged up a blue-tinted energy inside its mouth, and shot it directly at Judai, who howled out in pain from the attack.

"Damn it," Judai gasped as the attack subsided.

"Still think that my answer last night was incorrect?" Kaiser chuckled. "You may need to think about what you will do once you lose, but myself? I don't plan on losing, now or ever. You can keep your futile ideas of 'Respect-Duel' and take them to hell, where they will do you no good. I will show you how those who have tasted the bitterness of being on the bottom of the barrel fight!"

**(Judai's LP 2100, Kaiser's LP 3100)**

**AJ**: So there's the first part of the duel between Kaiser and Judai.

**Bil**: Good, Kaiser's winning. Keep it that way.

**AJ**: Can it, you.

**Bil**: I guarantee more people reading this fic want a loss instead of a win by Judai.

**AJ**: Quit telling them how the duel will end, you idiot.

**Bil**: I can't help it, I'm used to pointing out the obvious!


	42. The Game

**AJ**: Well…sorry for taking so long for the second part of this duel. I had to revamp it, because I realized something very bad about the last one.

**Bil**: Ryo-fan girls will hate you for all eternity from the ending?

**AJ**: Well…they probably will…but that's not why I took so long. It's actually because my original plans for this duel just downright sucked…so…I came up with a new one!

**Bil**: New ending?

**AJ**: No…duel…just read it.

**Bil**: If I must…

**AJ**: Not you…them.

**Bil**: Someone's gotta give you destructive criticism for this trash.

**AJ**: Right…

Chapter 41: The Game 

"Finally, I'll attack Sparkman with Rare Metal Dragon!" The giant creature charged forth, and smashed Sparkman into the ground. Judai grunted as he took 800 points of damage.

"And I still have one more attack. Due to my Edge's effect, I can reduce its attack points by half, and attack you directly! Cyber Dark Edge, attack his Life Points directly!" The creature charged up a blue-tinted energy inside its mouth, and shot it directly at Judai, who howled out in pain from the attack.

"Damn it," Judai gasped as the attack subsided.

"Still think that my answer last night was incorrect?" Kaiser chuckled. "You may need to think about what you will do once you lose, but myself? I don't plan on losing, now or ever. You can keep your futile ideas of 'Respect-Duel' and take them to hell, where they will do you no good. I will show you how those who have tasted the bitterness of being on the bottom of the barrel fight!"

**(Judai's LP 2100, Kaiser's LP 3100)**

Judai grimaced from the last attack. 'Man…I'm facing down four monsters.' He glanced over to the side of his field. 'The only thing that's keeping me from being down to zero Life Points is my Clayman, and unless I can get rid of Rare Metal Dragon, he won't be around after next turn, leaving me wide open for an attack. I gotta strike, I can't hold back.'

"My turn's done, you know!" Ryo called. "Could you marvel my dominance while making your move?"

Judai snarled in disapproval from the taunt. "Here I go, Draw!" Judai looked at his new card. "I'll summon E-Hero Wildheart in attack mode!"

"Delirious, eh? Putting him in attack mode will only destroy you faster," Kaiser stated.

"Hate to admit it, but the pro's right," Fubuki stated. "What's he doing?"

"Judai must have something up his sleeve," Misawa replied. "He's not so dense that he wouldn't recognize the obvious in a duel."

"I hope so," Fubuki muttered.

"I'm not done, Kaiser! I activate my Spell card, Wild Half! I can only activate this when Wildheart's on the field. With it, I can halve the attack of one of your monsters, and create a copy with the same attack points on the field! So, I'll lower Rare Metal Dragon's attack to 1200, and create a Token of it!" The dragon glowed with a bright light, before the monster split into two separate, identical creatures, both of which had their attacks reduced greatly.

"Now, Wildheart, attack that Token!" The hero leapt into the air and withdrew its massive sword. The native-looking hero dove at the enemy, and divided the hero into two, eliminating it and reducing Ryo's Life Points to 2800.

Ryo grunted in annoyance. "You'll pay for that!" the pro declared.

"Go ahead, let's see what you can do," Judai responded sternly.

"You'll regret those words, Draw!" He grinned evilly at the new card. "I'll summon Cyber Dark Keel! And like the other Cyber Dark monsters, I can snatch another Dragon from either Graveyard. I'll grab another Troop Dragon, increasing Keel's attack points to 1500!" Again, the dragon appeared on the field, and was impaled with IVs and cords, as energy slowly was absorbed from the monster. The crowd squirmed, as the dragon writhed in pain from the parasitic monster's effect.

"Now, Keel, attack his Wildheart!" The monster began charging red-tinted energy within its mouth, before sending it directly at the monster.

"But both of their monsters will be destroyed!" Areka hollered.

"Not quite," Kaiser stated. "I activate Keel's effect! If he would be destroyed in battle, I can sacrifice a monster equipped to him and save the monster. So, you'll Hero will be destroyed, but my Keel will stay!" Sure enough, the blast struck the hero, and an explosion enveloped both monsters. When the energy subsided, the evil-looking creature survived, but the Troop Dragon that it had held was gone. Some of the flames reached Judai's feet and legs.

"You really are sick, you know that?" Judai mumbled.

"I'll take that as a compliment, Judai," Kaiser stated, licking his lips. "Now, because Keel destroyed a monster, you lose 300 Life Points." Judai looked down and realized at some point during the explosion, his LP meter had dropped. "I'll end," Ryo declared.

"Good, Draw! I'll summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird!" Appearing above the duel field, a green blur sped back and forth, dazzling the crowd with the fancy lights and maneuvers, before it crashed into the ground, kicking up some dust. The dust settled after a moment, revealing a Bird-like hero in red standing in front of Judai.

"Now, I activate Hummingbird's effect! Honey-Suck!" The monster flew into the air, as Kaiser's three cards in his hand began growing out, each into a pink flower. The monster began flying in front of each of the cards, glowing a brighter green after each card it appeared in front of.

Ryo frowned slightly at the effect. "What kind of garbage is this? You trying to dazzle me with some type of stupid side-show!"

"It's not garbage, and it's not a side-show. See, Honey-Suck allows me to gain 500 Life Points for each card in your hand! So, since you have three, I get 1500 points!" The Neo-Spacian flew back over Judai and began flapping its wings causing droplets of green water to fall onto Judai. The Osiris duelist also began glowing green, and his Life Point meter increased to 2500.

"Next, I'll activate the Permanent Spell, Common Soul! First, I Special Summon a Neo-Spacian from my hand. Then, I select a monster on my field, and increase that monster's attack by the attack of the Neo-Spacian! The Neo-Spacian I choose is Flare Scarab!" A giant pillar of red flames erupted from the ground. Within it, a silhouette grew into the shape of a creature that resembled a beetle. When the flames subsided, there stood the creature.

Ryo immediately noticed that both of the monsters had 800 and 500 attack points, respectively. "So now you have two weaklings on your field, so what?" Ryo stated. "The highest attack your monster will have is 1300, nowhere near enough to destroy anything but my Troop Dragon or my Rare Metal Dragon!"

"Well, that would normally be true, but Flare Scarab has a special effect. He gains 400 attack points for each Magic and Trap card on your field! So, those two monsters you have equipped, plus Call of the Haunted, raise my Hero's attack to 1700! And now, my Air Hummingbird gains 1700 attack points, to 2500!" The Flame-based hero began igniting in a fiery aura, which cause Air Hummingbird to glow bright green.

"Air Hummingbird! Attack Cyber Dark Edge!" The monster sped in a green blur, through the equipped dragon's connections, and destroyed it. Ryo's Life Points lowered by 900.

"Because one of my cards is gone, your Hero loses 400 attack points!

"Now, Flare Scarab, attack Rare Metal Dragon!" The Hero hovered into the air, and began unleashing fireballs from his chest, destroying the monster, and reducing Ryo's Life Points by 100. Flare Scarab's attack lowered to 900.

"Turn end," Judai declared. (Judai's LP 2500, Ryo's LP 1800)

"Big mistake, Draw! You left my Cyber Dark creatures on the field, a mistake you will pay dearly for!" Kaiser announced.

"I specifically left them there, because they are only strong when they have other creatures equipped to them, but if they do have creatures equipped to them, Flare Scarab will gain points. I suggest you do it wisely," Judai explained.

"Fine! I activate the Spell, Cyber Absorption! With this card, I can equip one compatible Dragon on my field to a monster with Cyber Dark in its name! I'll equip the remaining Troop Dragon to Cyber Keel!" The Troop Dragon was sucked by a vacuum underneath Keel, and once again was injected with wires and cords, which began sucking out energy to feed the Cyber Dark creature.

"Because you have a new Spell and Trap on the Field, my heroes gains 400 attack points a piece," Judai grimaced, realizing that it meant little. The scarab and bird began glowing red and green, respectively, as their attack points rose to 1300 and 2100. The man

Kaiser jabbed a finger at the beetle-like hero. "Go, Keel, attack Flare Scarab!" The creature opened its jaws, and charged a bolt of red energy. The creature let loose the blaze against Flare Scarab, and incinerated the creature effortlessly. The stream brushed against Judai, who winced. "And because Keel destroyed a monster, your LP decreases by three hundred!" The Osiris duelist LP lowered to 2000 even.

"Now, your Hummingbird's attack lowers to its original state!" Kaiser declared. Sure enough, the green-tinged aura surrounding the hero soon dissipated, leaving it with only 800 attack points. "That means, it's an easy target for my Cyber Dark Horn! Attack!" The robotic dragon charged a sickly yellow, and was then fired at the Bird-like Neo-Spacian, destroying it in a massive explosion.

Judai grunted as the blast took away another chunk of Life Points. Judai stared determinedly at his opponent. "And, my Cyber Dark Edge still has its attack!" Kaiser declared.

"Yeah, but it'll be small compared to the other two attacks," Judai stated.

"Foolish boy," Ryo smirked, "you ought to know by now that when you duel me, things are not always what they seem! I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Cyber Extraction! With this card, I can equip a compatible Dragon-type monster in my graveyard to a Cyber Dark monster on my field! So Edge regains its Red-Eyes Black Chick!" The small creature appeared underneath Edge, and was connected to the creature. It writhed for a moment, before stilling as its energy was sucked away.

"Cyber Dark Edge! Attack Judai directly!" The monster conjured a ball of blue energy, before sending the stream directly at Judai. Judai winced as the attack struck his abdomen, and subtracted more Life Points from his meter.

"My turn is over," Kaiser evilly grinned. Smoke poured off of Judai's jacket from the last attack. Judai shook his head, to regain his bearings before looking across the field. "Looks like your not taking this to well, eh? You may have been able to dominate the Academia in my absence, but don't forget, you have yet to defeat me. Now you aren't dueling some over-hyped children from Obelisk; you're up here with the pros, the big boys."

"Don't get too overconfident," Judai stated.

"It's not overconfidence if it's true," Kaiser gloated.

"He's got a point," Misawa stated. "Judai's backed into a corner right now, and the only thing that is keeping him from defeat is that Clayman, and unless he draws something here, that won't protect him against Edge's next attack."

"Cyber Dark monsters," Manjoume breathed, "where did Kaiser get something like these? Those things are great if you own them, but I would still be squirming with those writhing dragons right in front of me."

"That's because you use the Armed Dragons, Aniki," a voice blared into his ear. Manjoume sighed, the one unnecessary perk to being back to normal, he had the Ojamas barking in his ear again. Though it did give him something to control, as no one else seemed to want to listen to him. The three creatures appeared in front of Manjoume.

"I don't like that guy he's too scary and dangerous," the green one muttered.

"Yeah, but Aniki could defeat him," Yellow blurted out.

"I don't know, he couldn't defeat Judai, or Saiou," the black one noted.

"CAN IT, YOU THREE!!" he screamed as he slammed his palms together through the three spirits.

Asuka, who was sitting behind Manjoume and off to the boy's right, witnessed the interaction of the four, and began giggling. "So that's whom Manjoume's always yelling at," she muttered. She turned her eyes back to the duel, and watched as Judai declared his turn.

"Draw!" Judai grimaced. "I'll set one, and end my turn."

"By the look on your face, I can see that facedown won't do much," Kaiser stated. "My turn, Draw!" He looked at his card, and began cackling evilly. "I wonder. I don't think I'd be happy to just beat you. I want to utterly annihilate you. I want to prove once and for all, that tie we had was a fluke that will never happen again! Not with my new monsters!"

Judai stared at the man. "I don't understand what you're getting at here," he stated.

"I want to be crowned as the greatest duelist of his time! I want to show everyone here that you're nothing but a fraud of a duelist who just got lucky once! But most importantly, I want to show everyone here once and for all, that Respecting your opponent will only get you defeat! I could attack directly with Edge and end this, but that would be too easy, too weak. I need total destruction! I need utter domination! So instead of attacking directly, I'll play this, Polymerization!" Kaiser declared.

Judai growled in annoyance at the move. "It seems you know exactly what's going to happen," Kaiser sneered. "I'll fuse together Cyber Dark Horn, Edge, and Keel to create the Cyber Dark Dragon!" The three creatures merged into one giant creature robotic black-colored dragon. Judai stared the giant creature down.

"That thing is even bigger in person!" Areka shrieked.

"Judai's gonna have a tough time bringing that thing down," Edo stated as he walked down the stairs to them. He carried a rather large case with him.

"Edo, where have you been?" Sho inquired.

"I had some stuff to take care of," he said simply. "I don't understand why Kaiser didn't want to just end it, though," the pro noted.

"He wants to shatter Judai's confidence in dueling, apparently," Fubuki answered. "He hopes that by annihilating Judai totally will do so."

"Then he's an even bigger fool now than I thought," Edo scoffed.

"What do you mean?" Manjoume asked incredulously.

"C'mon, you've seen Judai's duels more than I have. The further the guy gets backed into a corner; the harder he fights and the tougher he is to take down. He should take the opportunity while it's presented to him."

Asuka looked from Edo back to Judai. 'Judai,' she thought, 'don't lose.'

Judai glared at his opponent and the opponent's monster. "Now, before we get started, let's get Cyber Dark Dragon's effects out of the way. First, he gains 100 attack points for every card in my graveyard. In total, there are 13 in my graveyard, so he gains 1300 attack points!" The giant dragon glowed a cold black, as its attack points increased. "Next, I can equip a Dragon-type monster to him from my graveyard, and he gains that monster's attack points. So, I'll lose 100 attack points to 2200, but then equip Rare Metal Dragon to him, increasing his attack to 4600!"

"4600 attack points!?" Misawa breathed.

"Unbelievable!" Momoe shouted.

"Judai's lucky he's got Clayman on the field, or he would be a goner this turn," Junko stated.

Cyber Dark Dragon, attack!" The dragon's mouth pulsed a sickly looking yellow, before opening its mouth and aiming it at the Earth-themed hero.

"Death Flare!" Kaiser commanded as he jabbed a finger at Judai's monster. The monster unleashed an enormous stream of energy, destroying the defensive hero in a blaze of glory.

Manjoume snarled in annoyance "I think that's all she wrote," he told them.

"I don't hear any singing yet," Areka announced.

"But the fat lady's clearing her throat as we speak," Fubuki replied.

"Don't count Aniki out," Kenzan stated.

"He'll win!" Sho confidently said.

"I'll set one and that's it for me right now," Kaiser declared. "Face it, Judai, I'm always two steps ahead of you."

"We'll see, Draw! First, I activate Graceful Charity! I draw three," he drew his new cards, "and discard Pot of Greed and Fusion Recovery! Next, I activate my Disgraceful Charity, so my discards come back to my hand! Next, I'll activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 cards!" He looked at his hand. 'I may just have a way out of this. Aibou, don't let me down!'

"I'll set two, and end it."

Kaiser began chuckling across the field, causing Judai's brow to furrow. "Sorry, it's just, if that's all you can do, this will be over sooner than I thought. You may have put two facedowns, but I'll end it here. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon on your left facedown!"

"I'll chain Flute of Summoning Kuriboh! This card allows me to Special Summon a Winged Kuriboh from my deck to my field in defense mode!" Judai declared. He winced slightly however, as he didn't wish to reveal his trap so soon.

"Tch, a fool plays a furball. Fine with me. I'll destroy it, and then finish you! Cyber Dark Dragon, Death Flare!" The monster roared as his mouth pulsed violently with a yellow light. The monster sent a stream of yellow energy at the furry creature.

"He may be a furball now, but I'm not done! I'll end you right now, cause I activate Transcendant Wings! By discarding two cards, I can sacrifice one Winged Kuriboh on my field for a Winged Kuriboh Level 10! So I'll discard my Fusion Recovery and my Necroshade to Special summon it from my deck!" Kuriboh began glowing with a bright white light, before its wings grew to an enormous size, and a golden headpiece appeared on its head.

"Now, I activate Winged Kuriboh Level 10's effect! By sacrificing this card, I can destroy all face-up monsters on my opponent's field, and deal Direct Damage to you for the sum of the destroyed monster's attack!" The monster flapped its giant wings several times, causing a violent tornado to occur on the field. "Winged Kuriboh, Holy Tempest!" Winged Kuriboh disappeared, as the giant tornado sped towards Cyber Dark Dragon.

**(Judai's Life Points 500, Kaiser's Life Points 1800)**

**AJ**: Well, there's chapter 41. I think I improved this duel a lot.

**Bil**: Why couldn't you have made it this good on the first time around?

**AJ**: Well, revision makes perfection. And because I tried doing it off the top of my head, but didn't realize how much support Kaiser actually had, since he was only in like seven duels in the anime, I believe, at this point.

**Bil**: Pathetic.

**AJ**: It was, but now it's not.


	43. And The Horse You Rode In On

**AJ**: Here's part three of the Rematch of the Century…well, maybe not, but it is part three of the Judai vs. Kaiser duel.

**Bil**: I have a question.

**AJ**: I have an answer (hopefully).

**Bil**: Would BOWL's 99 still be the theme for this show if they went through with your thing?

**AJ**: I think this one is too dark for 99, so if I were running it, I would probably use Teardrop. I would probably go with a new Opening (picture-wise) after Chapter 29, as well.

**Bil**: You've thought this out, haven't you?

**AJ**: Indeed.

**Bil** You have no life.

**AJ**: Indee---Hey…

**(URGENT: I'm not using Time Fusion's effect 'Can't attack turn it was summoned' effect because, well, when I looked up the effect, it didn't say it on there, and since I hadn't seen it used for quite some time, I forgot about that. I also altered the effect Hero's Rule 1-Five Freedoms slightly.)**

Chapter 42: …And The Horse You Rode In On 

Kaiser began chuckling across the field, causing Judai's brow to furrow. "Sorry, it's just, if that's all you can do, this will be over sooner than I thought. You may have put two facedowns, but I'll end it here. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon on your left facedown!"

"I'll chain Flute of Summoning Kuriboh! This card allows me to Special Summon a Winged Kuriboh from my deck to my field in defense mode!" Judai declared. He winced slightly however, as he didn't wish to reveal his trap so soon.

"Tch, a fool plays a furball. Fine with me. I'll destroy it, and then finish you! Cyber Dark Dragon, Death Flare!" The monster roared as his mouth pulsed violently with a yellow light. The monster sent a stream of yellow energy at the furry creature.

"He may be a furball now, but I'm not done! I'll end you right now, cause I activate Transcendant Wings! By discarding two cards, I can sacrifice one Winged Kuriboh on my field for a Winged Kuriboh Level 10! So I'll discard my Fusion Recovery and my Necroshade to Special summon it from my deck!" Kuriboh began glowing with a bright white light, before its wings grew to an enormous size, and a golden headpiece appeared on its head.

"Now, I activate Winged Kuriboh Level 10's effect! By sacrificing this card, I can destroy all face-up monsters on my opponent's field, and deal Direct Damage to you for the sum of the destroyed monster's attack!" The monster flapped its giant wings several times, causing a violent tornado to occur on the field. "Winged Kuriboh, Holy Tempest!" Winged Kuriboh disappeared, as the giant tornado sped towards Cyber Dark Dragon.

Cyber Dark Dragon disappeared within the torrent of wind, and was torn to pieces by the ferocity of the whirlwind. The tornado inched towards Kaiser, who stared unflinchingly at the tempest that closed in on him. "I told you, I'm two steps ahead of you, Judai! Trap Open, Damage Polarilyzer! It negates the activation of a card effect that causes damage to me!" The gust slowly dissipated into nothingness a few feet in front of the grinning Kaiser.

"Now, we each draw one card," Ryo declared, as both he and Judai took a card from their decks. Ryo smiled at his draw. "Excellent, I activate Time Fusion! By removing one card in my hand from play, I can Special Summon a Fusion monster in my graveyard on my next turn!" He took a card in his hand, and placed it in his deck holster. A giant blinding light appeared above Kaiser's head, and rotated in a circle. "My turn is over."

"Knowing Kaiser, his removed card isn't just any card," Fubuki stated. "He may be cold and ruthless now, but he still duels with intellect."

"Are you suggesting…?" Misawa began.

"Yeah, his removed card must be Treasure From Another Dimension," Fubuki told them.

"But Judai will get cards, too, because it calls for both people to draw cards," Asuka stated. "So hopefully, it will help him."

Edo watched the duel intently. 'Judai, you and I have a score to settle. You better not drop it now.'

"My turn, Draw!" He looked at his card. "I'll set a card and end."

"Pitiful. It appears, you have reached your limit. Draw! At my Standby Phase, Treasure From Another Dimension, the card I removed with Time Fusion, comes back! Now we each draw two cards!" Both players took two cards from their decks. Ryo looked at his new set, before selecting one. "Now, my Cyber Dark Dragon comes back to my field!" The bright light slowly morphed into a black light, and grew into the giant Cyber Dark Dragon. "And it now has 2500 attack points from the cards in my Graveyard. But After I equip Rare Metal Dragon, it will reduce to 2400, then increase to 4800!" Judai snarled in disgust at the reappearance of the creature representing Kaiser's new duel theory.

"Cyber Dark Dragon, Attack!" Kaiser commanded viciously. Again, the monster pulsed a sickly yellow, as it charged up another burst of energy., before launching it against Judai.

"Trap Open, Negate Attack!" Judai declared, pressing a button on his duel disk. He shielded his eyes, as the bright yellow stream struck the vortex, but not passing in through it.

"Tch, persistent, aren't you?" Kaiser spat.

"You should know me well enough to know that much, Kaiser," Judai smirked.

"Fine, I'll end," Kaiser replied.

"Draw! I summon Bubbleman in attack mode! And because he's the only one on my field, I can draw two more cards!" He took two cards from the top of his deck. "Alright, I activate Metamorphosis! I send it and Bubbleman to my graveyard, and special summon Neo Bubbleman!" The Water-based hero began glowing with a blue light, and grew rather large wings on its back.

"Now, I activate Bubble Blaster, and equip it to Neo Bubbleman! Go, attack his Dragon!" The hero aimed its rocket directly at the Dragon, and unleashed its contents upon the Dragon. An explosion occurred, and smoke surrounded the machine.

Kaiser just snarled in annoyance, knowing what was coming. "Seeing as you know it already, I guess I should just say what say what its effect is, for those at home," Judai sneered. "First, I discard Blaster, so neither my hero nor myself take any damage. Then Bubbleman's effect activates, whenever it battles a monster, it destroys the monster with its effect!" Sure enough, when the smoke cleared, nothing remained of the mighty dragon.

"Now, I'll set a card, and let you go," Judai announced.

"Fine, my go, Draw!" He looked at his card, and grinned maliciously. "I activate my Overload Fusion! By removing Fusion-Material Machine-Type monsters on my field and in my graveyard from play, I can Fusion Summon a Dark-Main Type, Machine-Sub

Type Fusion Monster! So I'll remove my Cyber Dark monsters, and re-summon my Cyber Dark Dragon! And with another card in the Graveyard, plus its equipment of Rare Metal Dragon, this card has an attack of 4900!"

"Geez, doesn't this guy have any other monsters?" Areka shouted in half annoyance, half amazement.

"Hey, if it ain't broke…" Fubuki started, quoting the cliche.

"But how can Aniki keep defeating that thing, if he keeps bringing it back!" Sho inquired loudly.

"If I know Judai," Misawa began, "he'll muster something up."

'You better not lose, Yuki Judai,' Edo ordered. 'I'm going to be the only one who knocks you out of this tournament. I want to show you the true power of my Heroes.'

"You see, Judai? This Cyber Dark Dragon, it represents my unyielding desire to win! My unquenchable thirst for victory! And I will use all of my power to show everyone, that I will not be denied this refreshing drop of liquid! Now, my Dragon, end this!" The giant black-plated dragon conjured up another sickly-looking yellowy substance of energy. The mouth pulsed with an unholy color, before bombarding Neo Bubbleman with its attack.

"Trap Open, Hero Barrier!" A giant barrier erected itself right in front of Bubbleman, protecting the hero from the giant stream of energy that was near inches from striking the Water-based creature.

"For the love of…! I'll set two cards, and that's it," Kaiser growled.

"Draw! First, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon, and destroy your Rare Metal Dragon!" Judai declared, as he held up the card. A powerful torrent of wind came from out of nowhere, and blew right through the Rare Metal Dragon, shattering the hologram, and lowering Kaiser's monster's attack to 2500. Next, I'll use Necroshade's effect! While he is in the Graveyard, I can Normal Summon one Elemental Hero without a sacrifice. So, I'll Normal Summon Elemental Hero Bladedge! Go! Attack his Cyber Dark Dragon!"

"Aniki finally found a monster powerful enough to destroy that thing!" Sho shouted happily.

The golden minotaur ejected the blades on the sides of its arms, and charged forward towards its enemy. The lights from the room reflected off of the hero's armor. "Magic Cards, Open! De-Fusion and then I chain Burial From Another Dimension!" It was Judai's turn to gasp in shock and annoyance. "I see you know this combo. With Burial From Another Dimension, I return my three Cyber Dark creatures to my graveyard, then I use De-Fusion to separate my Dragon into its components!"

The Dragon glowed brightly, as it separated itself into the three Cyber Dark monsters. Each gained another dragon, Keel and Horn a Troop Dragon, and Edge a Red-Eyes Black Chick.

"Wait, why would he do that?" Sho inquired. "He's going to take more damage thanks to that."

"Because, he couldn't re-summon Cyber Dark Dragon without its components, I'm assuming," Misawa noted.

"No, it's more than that," Edo stated. Everyone looked at him inquisitively. "He could've activated Burial From Another Dimension his next turn, there's no restriction on when he can use it. Kaiser's Cyber Dark Dragon symbolizes everything he stands for now, and he doesn't want to give anyone, let alone Judai, the satisfaction of being able to destroy his greatest weapon in battle, even if it costs him more Life Points."

"Fine, if you'll give me another attack target, I'll get ride of that Cyber Dark Edge! Bladedge, turn your swords onto Edge!" The hero sped at Edge, and sliced the cords that connected the dragon to the machine. The dragon hit the ground, as its hologram shattered.

"Now, Neo Bubbleman, attack that Edge!" The Elemental Hero dove towards the creature, and fired its water pistol at the creature. Edge returned the attack with its own. Both attacks sped past each other, and struck their targets, both of which erupted in explosions, annihilating the two monsters. Kaiser growled in dissatisfaction.

"Now, I'll place one card facedown. Turn End," Judai stated.

"I'm tired of your games, boy! Draw!" He looked at his new card. "I activate, Pot of Greed! So I draw two more!" He grinned as he looked at his new cards. "I activate Magic Stone Excavation! By discarding two cards to my Graveyard, my Quick Summon and my Treasure From Another Dimension, in order to bring back a Spell from my graveyard! I take back my Overload Fusion!"

"Great, guess who's coming back," Areka sighed.

"I've got a feeling…" Sho replied.

'I could activate my Trap now,' Judai mused as he slowly lifted his arm to his duel disk. He then stopped. 'No! The only way to make Kaiser see reason is by destroying his Cyber Dark Dragon in battle! I can't use my trap now. It's not like he'll be able to win after it's activated anyways.' Judai smirked slightly, and felt some cold sweat on the back of his neck. 'Ironically…I kinda want to see his creature again. I actually _want_ to take that thing down.'

"I activate my Overload Fusion!" Kaiser declared. "I remove Cyber Dark Edge from my grave, and Keel and Horn from my Field, to re-summon Cyber Dark Dragon! And with all the cards in my graveyard, its attack rises to 3100! But that's not all, because I can equip a monster from my graveyard to it. Guess which one I'm going to use?"

"None of them, Kaiser!" Judai shouted. Kaiser's eyes widened in surprise at the statement. "I activate my Trap Hero's Rule 1-Five Freedoms! Here's how it works, I declare a card type either Magic, Trap, or Monster, and I remove a certain number of cards in my graveyard from play. Then, you must remove a number of cards equal to the same number I removed from the same type. I'll remove my two Neo-Spacians, Necroshade, Neo Bubbleman, Burstinatrix and Sparkman. And, since you have six, that's all of them! Plus, because your cards are removed, your monster's attack is decreased!" The monster's attack reduced to 2500.

Kaiser just smirked. "So what, you just made it harder on yourself. I still have one card in my hand, and it is Cyber Darkness Plating!" the Dragon began glowing with a black light, before growing slightly in size, and

Judai looked at Kaiser inquisitively. "Alright, I'll bite. What's it do?"

"What it does, is makes it impossible for me to summon any other monsters. However, it also increases Cyber Dark Dragon's by 500!" Kaiser announced

"Oh, I'm so scared," Judai replied sarcastically.

"You should be, because it also makes it so my Dragon can't be destroyed in battle, nor is it effected by any other card effects!" Kaiser told the boy. It was Judai's turn to widen his eyes and gasp in shock.

"I see you know what's coming next," Kaiser chuckled. "Cyber Dark Dragon! Attack!" The monster charged up a yellow-colored beam of energy, and used it to incinerate the golden minotaur-like hero. Judai grimaced, as he felt a sharp pain on his right arm, and his upper chest. His Life Points reduced to 100. The boy grunted in annoyance. "I'll end. I can't do anything else, but it's not like you can stop me at this point." He slowly began to break into a cold all-out laughter.

Judai felt his shirt begin to stick to his body, and realized his wounds had somehow reopened. "Better finish this quick," he muttered, "Problem is, I don't know how." He looked at his deck. "It all depends on my next draw."

"Draw your last card, I'm tired of you stalling," Kaiser demanded.

"Here I go!" Judai called. "Draw!" He looked at his new card. "Alright, I'm gonna play a new card, too! I activate my Spell, Miracle Contact!"

"Miracle…what?" Kaiser muttered.

"Miracle Contact. When I activate this card, I select one Fusion Monster with Elemental Hero Neos listed as a Fusion-Material Monster. Then, I remove the listed monsters in my deck from play. They must be the same monsters listed on the card. I Special Summon the Elemental Hero from my Fusion Deck, and then I equip this card to it. If the magic card is destroyed, this monster is removed from play, and at my End Phase, if there is no Neo Space active on my field, this card and the equipped monster are removed from the game."

"So, you're going to special summon another weakling?" Kaiser scoffed.

"We'll see how far arrogance can get you, Kaiser! I'll remove Neo-Spacian Glow Moss and Elemental Hero Neos from my deck, and Special Summon the new, Elemental Hero Glow Neos!" The two heroes floated into the air, and combined in a flash of light. Kaiser blocked the blinding light from his eyes, before removing them slightly to get a relatively good view.

Descending towards the ground was a Hero with long extremely light blonde, almost white, hair. He wore a white helmet, and the uniform it bore shone brightly. It lightly stepped in front of Judai. "What is…that thing?"

"Glow Neos, my newest Elemental Hero," Judai stated.

Kaiser noticed that there was something the boy hadn't taken into account. He began cackling evilly. "That monster doesn't enough attack points, it only has 2500!"

"I know how many attack points it has," Judai stated. "And I also know, it doesn't matter. This card has a special effect! It can destroy a card on the opponent's field, and the card destroyed determines his effect!" The hero charged up a multi-colored ball of energy, and sent it at the monster.

"Didn't you hear me?" Kaiser yelled. "My monster isn't affected by card effects! You're wasting your move!" Judai just smirked, and the blast hit the Dragon, causing a large explosion. Dust kicked up everywhere, as the two duelists shielded themselves from the view of the explosion.

Ryo looked at the center of the explosion, and saw a silhouette of his monster. It was still standing. He began laughing haughtily. "See, Judai? I told you, my dragon can't be destroyed! You wasted your turn, because at the end of this one, your monster is removed from play, and you'll be wide open!"

"You better recheck your monster," Judai said simply. Ryo's brow furrowed at what he meant. "I know that your monster is indestructible while that card is equipped to it. That's why, what I destroyed was your Spell card, Cyber Darkness Plating! And now, because of its effect, Glow Neos attacks directly!"

"No way!" Kaiser screamed. Glow Neos leapt into the air, charging up another transparent multi-colored ball of energy. The hero sent a stream of it directly at the pro duelist, and exploded in a blinding flash when it hit dropping the pro's Life Points to zero.

**AJ**: -runs through the forest, panting- Hi guys…sorry about…taking so long…with the chapter…many problems…and little time…made it difficult…

**Bil**: C'mere, Boy! I got a taste to carve something up after that trash!

**AJ**: YIPE!!! I'm…sorry about the rather…sudden finish…I'm not exactly…happy with this chapter….but it'll do…See you….in the next one!!! –dashes off-

**Bil**: C'MON, ALL I WANT TO DO IS SLICE YOUR HEAD OFF FOR GIVING JUDAI A VICTORY AND MAKING HELL KAISER LOOK LIKE A FOOL!!!


	44. Weight of a Hero

**AJ**: -yawns-…FINALLY…some good old R and R.

**Bil**: Get your ass on there and write the next chapter, boy.

**AJ**: What? Why?

**Bil**: You ruined the last chapter, making Kaiser lose to Judai. Pathetic.

**AJ**: It's my story and I'll do what I want with it.

**Bil**: And you're my apprentice, making me able to do what I want with you.

**AJ**: With a very dirty mind…

**Bil**: GET WRITING, FOOL!!!!!

**AJ**: O.O;;;…-types at a furious pace-

**Chapter 43: Weight of a Hero**

"I'll remove Neo-Spacian Glow Moss and Elemental Hero Neos from my deck, and Special Summon the new, Elemental Hero Glow Neos!" The two heroes floated into the air, and combined in a flash of light. Kaiser blocked the blinding light from his eyes, before removing them slightly to get a relatively good view.

Descending towards the ground was a Hero with long extremely light blonde, almost white, hair. He wore a white helmet, and the uniform it bore shone brightly. It lightly stepped in front of Judai. "What is…that thing?"

"Glow Neos, my newest Elemental Hero," Judai stated.

Kaiser noticed that there was something the boy hadn't taken into account. He began cackling evilly. "That monster doesn't enough attack points, it only has 2500!"

"I know how many attack points it has," Judai stated. "And I also know, it doesn't matter. This card has a special effect! It can destroy a card on the opponent's field, and the card destroyed determines his effect!" The hero charged up a multi-colored ball of energy, and sent it at the monster.

"Didn't you hear me?" Kaiser yelled. "My monster isn't affected by card effects! You're wasting your move!" Judai just smirked, and the blast hit the Dragon, causing a large explosion. Dust kicked up everywhere, as the two duelists shielded themselves from the view of the explosion.

Ryo looked at the center of the explosion, and saw a silhouette of his monster. It was still standing. He began laughing haughtily. "See, Judai? I told you, my dragon can't be destroyed! You wasted your turn, because at the end of this one, your monster is removed from play, and you'll be wide open!"

"You better recheck your monster," Judai said simply. Ryo's brow furrowed at what he meant. "I know that your monster is indestructible while that card is equipped to it. That's why, what I destroyed was your Spell card, Cyber Darkness Plating! And now, because of its effect, Glow Neos attacks directly!"

"No way!" Kaiser screamed. Glow Neos leapt into the air, charging up another transparent multi-colored ball of energy. The hero sent a stream of it directly at the pro duelist, and exploded in a blinding flash when it hit dropping the pro's Life Points to zero.

Kaiser dropped to one knee on his side of the field, holding his head from the intensity of the hologram. Judai breathed heavily, relieved he was able to pull out a victory from what seemed like most certain defeat. The crowd cheered in delight from the impressive duel, though some roared in anger from the outcome. He put his gaze along the front of the crowds, searching for his personal section, before discovering them.

The youth waved to the crowd, before walking over to check on Kaiser. The boy walked over to the great Hell Kaiser, and stood before the man. Kaiser lifted his ringing head up to look at the Osiris duelist.

Judai looked at the man hard, before smirking and softening his gaze. "So," Judai said reaching out his hand towards his peer, "find out the answer to my question?"

Kaiser looked at the boy, before lowering his gaze to the teenager's hand. Kaiser knocked the hand away, and stood up to his feet, brushing off his coat. "Don't get cute," Kaiser simply said, and stormed off away from the boy.

"Wait a second, where are you going?" Judai demanded. The pro just kept on walking. "Damn it, Kaiser," the boy said under his breath. He ran after the man, and caught up to the duelist in the lobby.

"Hold it, Kaiser!" Judai panted.

"What in the hell do you want?" Kaiser inquired without even turning around.

"Why do you insist on avoiding us?" Judai demanded.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not avoiding anyone," Kaiser replied.

"Then why don't you give up this 'Hell Kaiser' business and come back here, with your friends and family?" Judai wondered. Kaiser didn't answer, but didn't make any motion to turn around and face the boy either.

"All right, then answer me this, what will you do now?" Judai asked, knowing he had him cornered.

Kaiser slowly turned around and faced the boy, his face contorted in anger and annoyance. "Listen here. You may have beaten me here, but that doesn't mean you've won the war."

Judai's brow furrowed at the man. "What do you mean? I'm not waging any wars against you. Have you gone so far as to think of only about the win?"

"I told you, I give my all every duel, every opponent, every time," Kaiser explained in an annoyed tone. "It doesn't matter if it's you or Edo, or Asuka, or Fubuki, or Sho, I will use all my power to destroy my opponent!"

"Kaiser…"

"Let me put it to you in simpler terms. Our battle is not over. You may have beaten me, but you did so without eliminating my Cyber Dark Dragon. All you proved was those Neo-Spacians have made you a formidable opponent. That, by no means, makes you unbeatable." The pro turned his back on the youth's hand, and invitation to return to his friends, and began walking away.

"Kaiser…!" Judai called.

"I'll meet you again in the duel arena, Yuki Judai," Kaiser stated, looking over his shoulder, "and I'll be stronger. The next time, if you will defeat me, you will have to do so by defeating my Dragon, as well."

Judai groaned slightly in frustration. "All that, and I didn't even scratch into his former self," he muttered. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and coughed, immediately covering his mouth. He tasted blood. 'Great, when the hell did I get internal injuries?' he wondered.

"Didn't convince him to turn around, did you?" a mystic voice spoke from behind Judai. "And, is that blood I see on your arm?"

Judai whirled around, though he knew the owner of the voice. There stood the tall white-robed, violet-eyed Saiou, smirking at the youth. The man's eyes flashed, causing Judai's insides to freeze. The boy couldn't move his limbs. 'What the hell…?'

"I just wanted to chat with you, my boy," Saiou grinned maliciously. "And I need to make sure you stay and listen." Saiou began walking up to Judai. The closer the man got, the more vicious he appeared. Judai glared at the man, but could feel his courage swiftly evaporating by the man's harsh stare.

"What do you want, Saiou?" Judai flared, more from fear than anger. "I have too much to do to be waiting around here."

"Tch, you're going to try to change Kaiser back to normal. Don't bother, he's far to wrapped in his mind to listen to you," Saiou scoffed. "I have to say, that was an excellent duel you just had."

"Yeah, what of it?" Judai growled.

"Just congratulating you on your last victory while being of sound mind and body."

"You're not gonna beat me. I don't even think you'll get past Edo," Judai shot. "He's too strong a duelist to fall to you."

Saiou began cackling evilly. "You still don't understand what's going on, do you? I'm playing with a loaded deck. The power of the Light flows through me, allowing me to see the future, and know exactly what is coming. Not even Edo will be able to defeat me. And once I beat you in the Finals, my victory will be assured."

"What, you're going to use me to take over the world, is that it?" Judai spat. "Well, sorry, but that's not what's going to happen. I don't plan on losing. I'm going to free you from the Light of Ruin, and pay it back for hurting my friends!"

Saiou looked at Judai with an odd look on his face. It was a confused look, like he didn't know what the boy was talking about. An evil smirk spread across Saiou's face, as he began laughing haughtily from the statement. A white aura grew out from the man's body and overshadowed him and Judai.

Judai began feeling cold sweat on the back of his neck, but he stood as firm as he possibly could. "What's so funny? Huh?" Judai shouted angrily. "I've got it right, haven't I?"

"You're such a fool, I thought you would have figured it out by now," Saiou said. "My quest is not for the world, well not at least in its present form. My plan, Judai, is to use you to baptize then entire universe in the Light! Once you and Edo are my pawns, I will begin the ultimate transformation, the greatest journey! Starting with this world, all will be annihilated, and then reborn into the Light!"

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Judai roared. Visions began flashing in front of his eyes. They showed Saiou, flanked by Edo and himself, walking through many worlds, each being destroyed. Moments later, the planet would be reformed, only this time it will be painted entirely white. All the inhabitants then began to cry out in praise for The Light. "What, is this!?"

"This, Yuki Judai, is the fate of the worlds will we conquer, once you and Edo are mine!" Saiou gleamed.

Judai watched in horror as the entire universe began glowing brightly in white. The boy shielded his eyes, as he was unable to bear the brightness of the shine. Moments later, the visions disappeared. Judai regained the feeling in his arms, but was shaking badly from the horrors he had just seen. He fell to his knees and leaned forward onto his hands. His heart raced at the wanton destruction. "I'm going…to do that?"

"If you lose," Saiou stated. "And judging the way you protected your friends before, I'd say that this world is in trouble. Now you know the stakes of our duel, Yuki Judai. Can you bear the weight of the world on your shoulders? The weight each and every hero must carry? Do you understand now?" The man smirked and began chuckling. He turned around and walked away towards the duel field. "I suggest you say one last good-bye to your friends before our duel, as you will never see them again. Oh, and you know what can happen to them if they get involved without me showing you, right?"

Judai felt hot tears sting his eyes. "Damn…it…" Judai stammered. "I…I can't do this. The weight, it's too much…I'm not able to carry these kinds of stakes. I'm just not strong enough."

Asuka walked down the hallway, searching for Judai. She had been at the cafeteria with her friends, as there was a short intermission between the two duels. Judai knew this, but when he never showed up, Asuka excused herself and decided to look for him. She had enough of Manjoume trying to flirt with her, anyways.

She walked down the hallways, looking for the boy, and sighed. 'Where are you, Judai?' she wondered. 'You've never missed a meal before if you could help it.' She became very worried.

Hell Kaiser then began walking towards her down the hall. Asuka immediately spotted him, and though she didn't really like his attitude at this point, she still considered him a friend, even if he didn't. Plus, Judai had run off in the same direction this man had, so maybe he knew where the boy was.

"Kaiser, do you have a second?!" she called.

Kaiser saw her, and paused for a moment. "What?" he inquired tersely.

"Have you seen Judai?" she asked, a little hurt by his harsh question.

"Back there. Haven't seen him in a few minutes," he said, before he walked past her and away.

"Umm…thanks?" she called, before walking in the opposite direction. After a few minutes of walking, she heard someone sniffling, as if they were crying. "Who's that?"

"Damn…it…I…I can't do this. The weight…it's too much. I can't carry a world on my shoulders, let alone a universe…" She heard bone hit concrete, as the person punched the ground. The person's voice she would recognize from anywhere.

"Judai!" Asuka breathed. She began to run, before skidding to a halt around the corner. The boy was slowly picking himself up off the ground and brushing himself off. He wiped his eyes. Asuka slowly walked up behind him, and reached out for his shoulder. "Judai?"

The boy gasped and whipped around quickly. His eyes looked like they were full of fatigue and anxiety. The look made Asuka feel uneasy. His gaze softened slightly, which made Asuka experience more uneasiness, like he was trying to hide his pain from her. "Hey Asuka," he said quietly.

Asuka heard footsteps from behind her, and she turned around, seeing her friends come from around the corner. "Aniki!" Sho shouted.

"Hey there. What's up?" Judai asked.

"What do you mean, 'what's up'?" Sho questioned loudly. "Edo's duel starts in a few minutes! Aren't you gonna watch!?"

Manjoume walked around the corner, and saw Asuka standing near Judai. "Hey, you! Get away from her!" he darted forward and placed himself between Asuka and Judai. "Tenjoin-kun's my girl, not yours!" Judai backed away, nervously laughing a bit.

"I'm not anyone's girl! I'm not a thing!" Asuka shouted, annoyed.

Fubuki came up and smacked Manjoume over the head. Manjoume held his head, whimpering. "What was that for, Shisho!?" he asked loudly.

"You've done nothing to deserve my sister, you!" Fubuki roared, glaring daggers into the boy. Manjoume knew when to back down, and slowly quieted himself.

'Note to self,' Judai mused, 'get Fubuki's approval first.' This thought even made him sadder, making him remember what was riding on the duel.

"So, Judai, you coming or not?" Misawa asked.

"Thanks, but," Judai began, as he searched for the right words, "But, I should go and prep my deck for the Championship." He finally said, as he turned around and walked off.

"Wait, Aniki! Let's go watch the duel! You could get a feel for your opponents, then!" Kenzan insisted.

"No, no…" Judai told them. "I'd rather just try to figure it out on my own."

"But, Judai…" Asuka began.

"See you guys later," Judai called as he walked off waving over his shoulder.

"What's wrong with him?" Manjoume wondered. "He's being so distant."

"Probably cause of you…" Areka accused.

"No…that's not it," Fubuki stated, sounding much more seriously than when he was scolding Manjoume.

"What?" Everyone turned and looked at the boy.

"What do you mean?" Asuka said.

"I don't know the details, but that walk of his doesn't have any spring to it," the older man stated. "He's not his usual chipper self."

"I don't understand what his walk has to do with it," Junko muttered incredulously.

"Everything," Fubuki explained. "He looks as if the world is upon his shoulders." He pointed at the boy as he walked down the hall. "Look, his steps are extremely heavy. He's clomping, not walking."

Asuka wondered if that had something to do with the way his eyes looked a few moments before her friends arrived. "Judai…" she whispered.

"Come on," Fubuki urged, "we'll go watch the duel, maybe Judai'll be more willing to talk about what's wrong later." The group walked to reclaim their seats in the arena.

**AJ**: Well…in honor of my 16000 hits, here's chapter 43!

**Bil**: You fool, 5000 of them are because the people have looked into the first chapter.

**AJ**: You always have to ruin the fun.

**Bil**: What can I say? I love messing things up.

**AJ**: Whatever…As always, I want you, the readers' opinions if possible. I'm not totally proud of this chapter, but felt it was somewhat necessary, as Judai up till this point has thought the war was between him and his Neo-Spacians against the Light of Ruin, when really, it's about the whole world.


	45. Unyielding Hierophant

**AJ**: Man, what a few weeks this has been.

**Bil**: You lazy bastard.

**AJ**: I have a father, thanks…

**Bil**: Oh, killer comeback.

**AJ**: Not in the mood. Sorry, folks, but this duel is going to be progressively shorter than the others. Not had the time, nor the endurance (I usually type late at night) to create a longer one. I want to kick myself for having another Edo duel that isn't that long, but I didn't. I probably won't get any other chapters up for a while, until at least after Spring Break, cause it's gonna be hectic (England trip and projects).

**Bil**: That is a poor excuse.

**AJ**: Be that as it may.

Chapter 44: Unyielding Hierophant 

Edo walked down the hallway towards the duel field. He grimly thought about his upcoming bout with his friends. 'No,' Edo thought, 'former friend. This Saiou is not the one I once knew.' He sighed, remembering the first time the two had met.

_Edo stood out in the freezing cold wind and snow with a jacket on. DD had told the boy it was going to be cold, and he'd need a warmer jacket for his trip to the nearest duel tournament, but Edo ignored the man. 'Great,' the boy mused whilst he shivered, 'now I'm here in the cold with no hat. No scarf. No gloves. Nothing but this blazer on. Wonderful.'_

_He rubbed his hands together, and blew into his hands. "Now what am I supposed to do," he whined. The duel field was closed on account of the blizzard that had hit suddenly that morning. Now, he was outside with insufficient clothing and no way to travel back to his house._

_The boy groaned when he missed the bus that went to the bust stop right in front of his house. He decided to walk, knowing that the next one wouldn't come for another 30 minutes, and that was on a good day. This was not a good day._

_The wind soon became unbearable. He shivered violently, and rushed in an alleyway to get out of the wind. His breathing became less firm. The boy leaned back against the wall and slid down to the ground. 'What am I gonna do?' the boy thought. 'I know the general direction of my house. I know my street name, but have no idea how to get there.'_

_He soon heard some sobbing. Edo instinctively leapt to his feet and looked around. He couldn't see anyone, but the sobbing was still loud. He then saw a flicker of something coming out of a cardboard box next to a dumpster and a manhole._

_Curiosity overcame the boy, and he crept towards the box. The nearer he got to the box, the louder the sobbing grew. When he was a few yards from the box, he heard voices._

"_Mizuchi, what's wrong?" the voice of a young boy asked._

_A younger girl sniffled, and sobbed, "I'm…I'm cold, Onii-san."_

"_Well, here, take some of my blanket," the boy insisted._

"_But…w-what about you?" the girl squeaked._

"_I'll be fine," the boy assured her._

_The girl sniffed. "Onii-san?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"When…when is that savior supposed to come for us?" the girl asked. "You said that someone was coming to help us."_

_"Well…" the boy began._

_"I hope it's soon," the girl sobbed._

_"I'm sure it will be," the boy chuckled._

_"Onii-san?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"You're the best," the girl muttered._

_"Heh…" the boy breathed._

_Edo felt hot tears stinging his eyes. Here were these two people, young and reduced to a cardboard box of a house, were doing the best they could with what they had, but he was complaining he was a little cold. He wiped his eyes. 'I'm gonna help them, even if it's for only one night.'_

_He walked up to the front of the box, and realized the flicker was a flashlight that must've been low on batteries. The boy's eyes widened at the sight of Edo. The girl, who Edo noted was rather cute, before blushing and dismissing the thought, was sleeping under some blankets and the boy's arm for warmth. Edo realized that he may have been disturbing their slumber. The girl stirred, and opened her eyes. He thought he recognized the boy from somewhere, but couldn't place it._

_"Umm…uhh… sorry about the bursting in like this, but I couldn't help overhearing…and…" Edo felt extremely awkward. "Do you guys wanna sleep at my house?"_

_The boy just stared at Edo. "You'd let in a couple of strangers into your house?" the boy incredulously inquired._

_"Well…you guys look like you could need help…" Edo murmured._

_"Onii-san? Are you talking to an angel?" the little girl groggily questioned. The girl rubbed her eyes, and woke up a little more. "Hey, is that the person who's coming to save us?"_

_"Shush, Mizuchi," the boy told her._

_"Save you?" Edo said._

_"Well, to make a long story short, I can see the future with my Tarot cards, and it told us that someone was to come and help us from our poverty," the boy said._

_"Well…maybe I AM the one who's supposed to come," Edo said._

_"You…mean it? You will actually help us?" the boy questioned excitedly._

_"I did say that I was going to take you back to my house, didn't I?" Edo answered._

_The boy's eyes began to tear up, as he began smiling. "Th…thank you!"_

_"Well, if we're going to be living at my house, we should get to know each other. I'm Edo Phoenix, what are your names?" the boy politely greeted._

_"I'm Saiou Takuma," the white-haired boy informed him, "and this is my younger sister, Mizuchi Saiou."_

_"Well, c'mon, we'll need to get home," Edo said, when he realized he didn't know where he was and didn't know how to get back._

_"You've forgotten your way?" Saiou inquired at the boy's look._

_"Well…kinda…" Edo admitted._

_"What street is it on?" Saiou asked._

_"23rd and Main," Edo said._

_"Oh, I know where that is," Saiou stated. "I go there all the time to try to make money reading fortunes. A nice man with blue hair always gives me money there."_

_"That's DD!" Edo exclaimed. "That's where I knew you! I knew I recognized you from somewhere!"_

"_THE DD?! Really? I know an easy short-cut we can take!"_

_"Really!?" Edo asked. "Then let's hit the road!" The duo began racing out of the alleyway, before they heard someone shouting._

_"Wait for me!" Mizuchi screamed._

_Saiou froze, and waited for his sister. "Sorry, Edo, but we can't leave without my sister." Edo nodded in approval. The trio soon arrived at Edo's house._

That seemed like centuries ago. Edo could hardly believe how much had changed, and that it had only been about seven years since then. He sighed remorsefully as he looked down at his white suitcase. "I'm sorry, Saiou," the boy apologized, "but it's the only way."

He determinedly walked straight towards the duel arena, feeling his heart racing, his adrenaline pumping, cold sweat perspiring his neck. He got this feeling whenever he was prepping for a duel on TV, though he would never publicly admit to it. He loved the feeling.

The nearer he got to the duel field, the louder the crowds in the arena got. He entered the arena and stepped up the staircase onto the duel platform. At the other end of the arena, he saw Saiou doing the same. The two walked towards the middle of the duel field.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Cronos's voice blared over the loudspeaker. "This duel will determine the other Finalist who will face Judai in one week!"

Edo glared at Saiou, who cast off the boy's glare with a smirk and sadistic gleam of his eyes. "Greetings, my friend," Saiou sneered.

"Saiou," Edo returned.

"I have just one question, though by the look of your eyes, I already know the answer," Saiou continued, as he exchanged decks with the younger boy, "will you forfeit this duel and join the Light willingly?"

"If you already knew the answer to that," Edo growled, as the two shuffled their opponent's decks, "was there ever a need to ask that question?"

Saiou chuckled evilly. "Sorry, it's just a standard question I ask all my victims."

"I'm not going to be one of those little pawns of yours," Edo remarked coolly. "I have something for you." The duelist opened up his suitcase, and pulled out two sets of black, spiked shackles. Saiou's eyes widened in mild amusement.

"You'd face me with those, _knowing_ the possible consequences?" Edo nodded. "This is too rich. This will help me remove you from becoming a factor in my duel with Judai!" The two duelists began equipping the shackles.

"I won't need to help Judai, as you won't make it that far," Edo shot. "You shouldn't look ahead when you haven't defeated _me_ yet." The two duelists handed the decks back, and walked to their ends of the duel platform.

"Suit yourself, but just because we were once friends, doesn't mean that I'll go easy on you," Saiou scoffed.

Edo just growled in annoyance at the man's continued mocking. "Are you ready?"

"All set."

"**DUEL!**"

The group of students reached their seats and sat down, watching the battle. "So, do you guys think Edo has any chance?" Sho asked.

"Well, he's the only one to stand toe-to-toe with Judai other than Kaiser," Misawa mused. "So, if anyone can defeat destiny besides Judai, it has to be him."

"I'm wondering what Edo's new card that he so proud of is," Kenzan stated," can't wait to see it!"

"Well, if I know Edo, if he gets a chance, he will show it," Fubuki stated.

"I hope he wipes that silly smirk off of Saiou's face," Areka gritted. "GO GET 'IM PHOENIX!"

"ACHOO!" Edo sneezed, and shook his head. He reached for his handkerchief, and wiped his nose with it before returning it to his pocket. 'Sorry, Saiou. This is for your good as it is mine."

"Should you go first, or should I?" Saiou inquired.

"I'll go first, Draw!" Edo roared. "I'll summon Destiny Hero Dunk Guy, in defense mode!"

"Wow, _great_ opening move," Saiou mocked. "For all your talking, if this is the best you've got, this will be easier than I predicted."

"You'd better wait before you open your mouth," Edo smirked. "I activate Dunk Guy's ability! By sending a D-Hero from my hand to the Graveyard, I can deal 500 points of Direct Damage to you! So I'll send Disk Guy to the graveyard, and let Dunk Guy take care of the rest!"

The Destiny Hero leapt into the air and raised its fist, ready for the strike. The hero slammed its fist down upon the leader of the Light. Saiou growled in pain, as red electricity tore from the shackles through the man's body as his LP dropped by 500 Life Points. When the voltage subsided, however, he arose with a vicious grin upon his face.

Edo gulped, and felt a shiver rise up his spine. He shook the feeling away. "I end."

"Fine then, Draw!" Saiou declared. "I'll discard Arcana Force IX, The Hermit (300/0), in order to Special Summon, Arcana Force V, The Hierophant (1000/1000)!" Appearing before them was a creature that looked as if it were an abomination. It had several limbs that looked as if they had been attached by some other force. The limbs stuck into the ground, and lifted a hulking mass in the middle of it off the ground. The creature was white all over it, and had a purple eye, which opened up, in the middle of the beast.

"What the…!?" Edo gasped.

"Recognize it, Edo? This is the card that symbolizes you, as you no doubt recall," Saiou smirked. "I can only summon this card by discarding another Arcana Force monster from my hand." The card of the monster appeared over the head of the creature. The card began rotating slowly before speeding up. "Go ahead, Edo, start the rotation of destiny!"

Edo watched the card rotate, before shouting, "Stop!" As the card slowed, it passed the upside-down position and stopped right side up. "Great," the pro groaned.

"Indeed, because when this card is stopped in the upright position, whenever it battles with a monster, this card gains attack points equal to half the opponent's monster's attack points!" Saiou eagerly explained. "Hierophant, Attack!"

The creature ripped out a limb, which now was jagged at the end of it, and charged it towards Dunk Guy. "And it's attack increases to 1550, because of its effect!" The appendage speared the hero, and shattered the hologram. Edo grunted as he took a current that rushed forward from the shackles.

"Draw!" Edo scowled as he looked at his hand and cards. 'Oh, well, maybe this can work out for me, after all,' he mused. "I summon Diamond Dude, in defense mode!" Edo declared as he placed the monster on the field. "Next, I activate his effect! I pick up the top card in my deck, and if it's a Normal Magic card, then I place it in my Graveyard and activate next turn, otherwise it goes to the bottom of my deck!" The pro took the top card and looked at it. "I picked up Graceful Charity, so it goes to my grave till next turn!" he slid the card into the Graveyard slot on his duel disk.

"Pathetic," Saiou snorted. "Aren't you done, yet?"

"I'll set one and that's it!"

"Finally, Draw!" Saiou smirked at his new draw, before placing it in its appropriate slot. "And at my Standby Phase, The Hermit's effect activates."

"Effect?" Edo wondered.

"Yes, when he's sent to the graveyard from my hand by a card effect I control, he returns to my hand on my next Standby Phase, and then I draw one card, as long as at least one Arcana Force monster is on my field." He did so.

Saiou grinned evilly. "Excellent, I summon Arcana Force III, The Empress!" The card appeared above the creature's hologram and began spinning. "Care to try the hands of fate, again?"

"Stop!" Edo called immediately. Much to his dismay, however, the card stopped in an upright position.

"Well, how unfortunate," Saiou sneered, "not that you couldn't expect that to happen. Now, whenever you Normal Summon a monster, I can Normal Summon one, as well! Now my Hierophant, attack his Diamond Dude!" The creature's appendage erupted from the ground and charged forward at the creature. The monster burst from the shot to the stomach. Edo once again roared in pain, as the red electricity tore into him again.

"Ahh, I see, you made it so destroyed monsters caused the owner to feel it too, eh?" Saiou mused. "More torment for you," he chuckled. He then roared in laughter, as the pro duelist squirmed in agony from the red bolts that rocked his limbs.

**AJ**: Extremely sorry! –bows head feverishly- I hoped to get my chapter up on Friday, but it was a long day, and I knew it was going to be a long weekend, and…

**Bil**: Shut up, you're getting pathetic.

**AJ**: Maybe so, but I don't care.


	46. Friend In Need

**AJ**: Here is the re-instatement of Chapter 45: **A Friend In Need! The Ties That Bind**. It probably won't be like it was the first time I wrote it, so…

**Bil**: Get writing, you loser.

**AJ**: Yes sir. I'll explain what I'm planning for the continuation of this series at the end of the---

**Bil**: GET GOIN!!!!

Chapter 45: A Friend In Need! The Ties That Bind 

"Finally, Draw!" Saiou smirked at his new draw, before placing it in its appropriate slot. "And at my Standby Phase, The Hermit's effect activates."

"Effect?" Edo wondered.

"Yes, when he's sent to the graveyard from my hand by a card effect I control, he returns to my hand on my next Standby Phase, and then I draw one card, as long as at least one Arcana Force monster is on my field." He did so.

Saiou grinned evilly. "Excellent, I summon Arcana Force III, The Empress!" The card appeared above the creature's hologram and began spinning. "Care to try the hands of fate, again?"

"Stop!" Edo called immediately. Much to his dismay, however, the card stopped in an upright position.

"Well, how unfortunate," Saiou sneered, "not that you couldn't expect that to happen. Now, whenever you Normal Summon a monster, I can Normal Summon one, as well! Now my Hierophant, attack his Diamond Dude!" The creature's appendage erupted from the ground and charged forward at the creature. The monster burst from the shot to the stomach. Edo once again roared in pain, as the red electricity tore into him again.

"Ahh, I see, you made it so destroyed monsters caused the owner to feel it too, eh?" Saiou mused. "More torment for you," he chuckled. He then roared in laughter, as the pro duelist squirmed in agony from the red bolts that rocked his limbs.

**(Saiou's LP 3500, Edo's LP 3550)**

Edo grunted as he slowly picked himself up off the ground. Saiou began cackling again. "It would be easier to submit to me. Come, Edo, I will place you at the left-hand of my plans of the universe!"

"Save it," Edo growled as he wiped some sweat off his face, "I'm not going to have anything to do with you or your stupid 'plans'. Trap Open, Destiny Signal! This card allows me to special summon one D-Hero monster with a level of four or less whenever a monster on my field is destroyed. I'll special summon Defender!" The giant wall-looking creature appeared on the field bent on one knee.

"Fine then," Saiou sneered, "but now, I can activate this, my Spell Foresight of Fate! When there is a Arcana Force monster on my field who didn't destroy one of your monsters in my Battle Phase, I'm am allowed to Special Summon another Arcana Force Monster. I'll summon Arcana Force IV, The Emperor!" The alien-looking creature appeared on the field. A card materialized directly above the creature, one that looked exactly like the card that Saiou had placed on his duel disk.

"You know the drill, Edo," Saiou declared. "It's your call."

Edo glared at Saiou, then focused his attention on the card rotating above his opponent's creature. After a moment, he finally shouted, "Stop!" The card slowed and halted in the Upright Position.

"Now, because of my Emperor's effect, all my Arcana Force monsters gain 500 attack points," Saiou explained deviously. "I'll end my turn with two facedowns."

"That's quite a lineup Saiou has," Misawa murmured.

"Yeah, three monsters to Edo's one," Areka added, "and all that one does is help in defense. But it also gives Saiou a second new card with at his Standby Phase, and right now, I don't think Edo want's to give Saiou any help."

"About time," Edo growled, "Draw!" He looked at his new card. "Now I activate the Graceful Charity from my Graveyard! So I draw three," he looked at the three new cards, "And discard D-Hero Diabolic Guy and Ring of Magnetism."

"Next, I'll sacrifice Defender to summon Destiny Hero Dasher!" The first hero disappeared in a sparkling light. The second one descended from the light that appeared from Defender's sacrifice and lightly landed on the ground in front of Edo.

"I now also get a summon, however, thanks to the Empress," Saiou announced. "I'll sacrifice her in order to summon Arcana Force II, The High Priestess (1900/1900)!" Again, the monster appeared holding a staff-like object. It was a glimmering vessel colored white with metallic-blue armor over its midsection, forearms, and shins. The card of the creature appeared above it and once again rotated.

Edo watched the card intently, waiting for the opportunity to command it to stop. Once the card passed the Reversed position, he announced, "STOP!" The card slipped passed the Upright position and slowed to a halt upside down. Edo smirked at the card's position. "Looks like I won, this time," he breathed.

Saiou immediately noticed the smirk, and grinned. "Assumptions lead to mistakes, Edo," Saiou grinned. "Still, my creature gains 500 attack points." A white aura surrounded the Priestess, causing its attack to grow to 2400.

"I can still attack with Dasher!" Edo declared. "Destroy his Emperor!" The hero leapt into the air and front flipped above the alien-like creation. The hero brought its foot down upon the 'head' of the monster, causing the hologram to shatter and docking Saiou 200 Life Points. Electricity zapped Saiou, but he remained unfazed from the volts that were sent through his body. 'Not even a flinch,' Edo thought.

"Now, my High Priestess's effect activates," Saiou announced. "While it is in the Reversed position, I discard one card whenever Battle Damage is dealt to me by my opponent. Normally, this would be a disadvantage to me. However," He took his one card from his hand and slowly placed it into his Graveyard, "I think you know what the last card in my hand was." The diviner began smirking. Edo gazed at the man, perplexed. "Can't remember? I'll help you. It's my Arcana Force IX, The Hermit."

Edo growled in annoyance. 'Isn't there anyway to put a dent in this man's plans!?' he wondered.

"What is it with that guy?!" Areka groaned annoyed.

"Even effects that are supposed to harm him are helping him out," Asuka stated half amazed, half worried.

"Yes, but 'supposed' is the key word there," Misawai reminded them. "Don't forget, this guy doesn't follow 'normal' principles. 'Normally', he wouldn't have every coin toss benefiting him in some way. He seems to be able to bend destiny to the way he wants."

"So, then," Sho began, "even Edo's Destiny Heroes can't overcome him?"

"I don't know if I'd count him out just yet," Fubuki told them. "Edo's a Pro Duelist, and he's defeated Judai once before. He must have a few aces up his sleeve to have gotten this far."

"Well, he better start pulling them out now," Manjoume responded, "if he hopes to beat Saiou."

"Are you through yet, my friend?" Saiou sneered.

"You're not the man I befriended so long ago!" Edo angrily barked. "Don't act like you are him!"

"Touche," Saiou smirked. "But it is still your turn."

Edo sent a vicious glare at his opponent, before looking at his hand. " Because he attacked, Dasher is switched to defense mode at the end of my Battle Phase. I'll set two cards facedown. Your move."

"Draw! And now, because I have an Arcana Force monster on the field, I can return The Hermit to my hand and draw one more card!" Saiou grinned at his replenished hand. "First, I'll play Pot of Greed and draw twice more!"

"Then, I'll activate the Magic Card, Arcana's Rebirth! This allows me to Special Summon an Arcana Force monster to the field and select it's position. In order to do this, however, I must discard another Arcana Force monster." He slid The Hermit into his Graveyard. So, I'll Special Summon the Empress and place her in the Upright Position!"

"It's exactly like before!" Momoe screeched.

"Yeah, only now, Edo's gonna be wide open in a few moments," Junko winced.

"Now High Priestess, attack his Dasher with Light Wave!" The creature aimed its staff at Dasher and glowed with a white light. The beam was then launched at the Destiny Hero.

"Trap Open!" Edo declared pressing a button on his duel disk. "D-Counter! I can activate this card when you designate a D-Hero as an attack target. The monster attacking is now destroyed!"

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" Saiou inquired. "But I have my own Trap, Heirophant's Wand! With this card, no monsters on my field can be destroyed by Card Effects this turn. In return, you are allowed to draw one card." Edo did so, though he groaned in disappointment. "Now, my Hierophant can attack your hero!" The creature tore a limb from the ground, raising it's attack to 2050, and struck the D-Hero in the chest, shattering the hologram, and causing Edo to scream in agony from the electricity.

"Don't think you are out of the woods yet, boy," Saiou growled. "I attack you directly with The Empress!" The alien creature placed its arms together and charged an attack. It launched the ball of energy, and struck Edo in the chest, causing another charge of volts and anguish through his body.

The boy hit his knees and quivered in pain. He gasped for air. Saiou instantly began cackling again. "What's the matter, Edo?" the man mocked. "Your plans backfiring on you slightly? C'mon, where's that fire you had before, when you were telling me that I wasn't your old friend?"

This caused Edo to snap. His eyes flashed wide open, and he as quickly as he could got to his feet. "**DON'T…YOU…EVER…CALL YOURSELF…MY FRIEND!!!!!!!**" he demanded slowly, calmly, and harshly. "The man that I knew as Saiou was a kind gentle soul! He would never harm anyone!"

Saiou reared back and roared in laughter. "You obviously don't know your friend very well, then," Saiou chuckled.

"What!?" Edo roared.

"You see, in order for the Light to manifest itself into a host, the said host must be willing to except it," Saiou grinned. "The Light cannot forcibly control a person until it has a host, so if there is no host, then there is nothing the Light can do. However, if even one soul out there wishes for guidance, however deep it is hidden within the person's subconscious, the Light can then enter the person and directly influence the actions of the host. Once the Light has manifested itself, it becomes ease itself to begin to draw others to its presence and then also take hold of them. So you see, the only way the Light can control someone is if they wish for it."

"You lie…" Edo insisted.

"Well, you keep believing that then," Saiou told him. "In the mean time, I'll set a card and end it."

"Draw! I'll activate Diabolic Guy's effect! By removing him from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a second one from my deck," Edo stated. "Now, I'll sacrifice him for Destiny Hero Double Dude!"

"I also now get a summon," Saiou explained, "and it shall be Arcana Force VI, The Lovers!" The monster appeared on the field and the card of the creature revealed itself overhead and began to rotate. "Once again, we are at a crossroads. It is time for destiny to choose which path you shall take."

"Cut with the mystical crap," Edo demanded. He focused his energy on the rotating card. "STOP!" The card once again stopped in the Reversed position, causing Edo to smirk.

"Finally, I'll activate the Field Spell, Dark City!" Immediately after placing the Magic Card in its correct spot, dark buildings erupted from the ground, the only light revealed from them coming from the windows. Overlooking the entire scenery was a night sky. Saiou's monsters, however, illuminated the duel field, almost as if it were day.

"Trying to hide in the darkness," Saiou thought aloud. "You were always like that Edo, trying to keep your true plans and feelings buried deep within. However, the light sees all."

"Make all the jokes you want, Saiou, but illuminated or not, this is still my home field," Edo told him, "because now, whenever a Destiny Hero battles with a monster stronger than itself, it gains 1000 attack points! So, Double Dude, attack his Empress!" the hero leapt into the air and transformed into a grotesque creature, as if the hero's hatred had caused itself to transform into a monster. The monster slammed its fist down onto its target and annihilated it, knocking Saiou down 700 Life Points. Electricity poured into Saiou's body, but he didn't allow himself to be unsteady for long. "Don't forget, Saiou, now you must discard a card." Saiou did so, though his face didn't reveal whether he was annoyed or satisfied with the move.

"Now, Double Dude can attack again, so target his High Priestess!" Edo declared. The monster leapt back into the air and once again transformed into the high-class individual that it originally looked like. It directed itself towards the new target.

"Trap Open! Wand of Hearts!" Saiou declared. "I can activate this when you designate an Arcana Force monster as an attack target. If there is another Arcana Force monster on my field, I can force you to select it instead. So you will now face my Hierophant!" The hero instantly switched its focus onto Saiou's other monster, and dove at it.

"But because your monster's effect only works on its original attack points," Edo explained, "it will still be destroyed!" Indeed, the hero drove its cane into the creature as if it were a sword into the alien's 'head'. The creature exploded as Edo's creature leapt backwards to its original position. Saiou growled in torment, as he again lost some Life Points. "I'll set a card and that's it."

"My turn," Saiou stated, "Draw! The Hermit now returns to my hand, and I am allowed to draw once more." He looked at his hand. "Now, I activate my facedown, the Trap Reversing Destiny! Now, all Arcana Force monsters on my field have their positions switched. So now, both of my creatures are in the Upright Positions!"

"Now, The Lovers cost as two sacrifices for any Arcana Force monster I happen to sacrifice it for! So, I'll sacrifice it for Arcana Force XVIII, The Moon!" The giant alien appeared on the field and its card appeared above it and began to rotate. "Go ahead, Edo. Choose your destiny."

Edo watched as the card spun around and around. He took a deep breath, before calling, "Stop!" It halted in the Upright position.

"Now, High Priestess, attack his Double Dude!" The monster charged up another beam of light and directed it at the hero. It fired it at the hero, which stuck it in the midsection and went straight through it, causing the strike Edo in the chest. He howled in pain as electricity poured into him from the shackles on his limbs. "And now I get to draw a card, thanks to my High Priestess's effect. Now, Arcana Force XVIII, attack Edo directly!" The Moon charged up a ball of energy of its own and aimed it directly at Edo. The creature aimed and fired directly at Edo.

"Trap Open!" Edo declared through his pain, moments before the second strike hit. "D-Fortune! By removing a D-Hero in my graveyard from play, I can negate one of your direct attacks! So I'll remove Diabolic Guy!" A spirit of Diabolic Guy appeared before Edo, and took the blast of Saiou's monster.

"So, you wish to prolong the inevitable, hmmm?" Saiou mocked. "Fine then. I'll set a card and that's it for now."

"Draw," Edo wearily stated. "At my Standby Phase my Double Dude's effect activates! I can Special Summon two Double Tokens to my field!" two creatures that looked identical to Double Dude's human half appeared on the field bent on a knee in defense mode. "I'll set the last two cards in my hand, and that's it."

"It appears you've hit your limit, eh, Edo?" Saiou inquired. "You think those two scrawny pieces of trash can hold a candle to my deck? Don't be so foolish! Draw! Now, at my Standby Phase, because The Moon is in the Upright Position, I can Special Summon one Moon Token to my field! And now, I'll activate Reverse Reborn! With this card, I am allowed to Special Summon one Arcana Force monster and equip it with this card! The monster is then placed in the Reversed position! I'll Special Summon The Empress!"

"Neither my Moon Token nor my Empress will be here for long, however," Saiou announced gleefully, "as I sacrifice both of them in order to summon Arcana Force XXI, The World!" A pillar of light appeared from each monster, within which the creatures disappeared. The two pillars grew and became one that seemed to open a gateway to another realm. Out from that realm came another towering creature.

"That's the thing that beat Asuka!" Momoe screamed, horrified.

"Is it me or does it look even bigger than before?" Junko wondered.

Asuka glared at the creature, remembering what torture it had sent her through only a day before. The creature took her to nearly the brink of her life. If it hadn't been for Judai, she likely wouldn't have survived.

"It looks like Edo's gonna haveta beat that thing if he plans on winning this duel," Fubuki grimaced.

"And with that creature's effect, he will have a difficult time doing so," Misawa grimly noted.

"C'mon, Edo…" Areka breathed worriedly.

Edo glared anxiously at the creature that stood across from him. Saiou noticed a bead of sweat roll down his face and began cackling. Edo lowered his gaze upon Saiou. "Sorry, just watching my opponent writhe just sends a chill up my spine," Saiou grinned. "Especially when they have been as troublesome as you have. It's time to face your destiny, Edo. Now, my High Priestess and The Moon will attack your two tokens!" Two blasts of energy were launched across the way at Saiou's last line of defense. Two explosions resounded throughout the arena, and screams of agony were mixed in with the sounds of electricity crackling.

"Now, Arcana Force XXI will attack you directly!" The enormous creature prepared its laser and directed it at the pro.

"Trap…Open!" Edo was able to declare as he reached for the button on his duel disk. "D-Chance! With this card, I am able to remove two D-Heroes in my Graveyard from the game. Then, I select one Magic or Trap card in my Graveyard and remove it from play, also. In return for it all, I can activate the selected card! So, I'll remove Defender and Dunk Guy in my Graveyard in order to activate D-Fortune! You know what happens, Now I remove Double Dude and negate your attack!" A spirit form of Double Dude appeared in front of Edo, similar to Diabolic Guy earlier, and took the blow from the laser.

"He survived," Areka sighed happily.

"Yeah, but now comes round two," Asuka told them.

"And this time, Edo's got no defense," Kenzan added.

"Let's try this again!" Saiou shouted. "I'll sacrifice The Moon and the High Priestess, allowing me to skip your next turn! Now, I attack you directly once again!" The creature charged up another laser-beam and fired.

"Trap, Open! Call of the Haunted! With this, I can special summon a monster from my graveyard in attack mode! I'll special summon Destiny Hero Dash--!" the white-colored laser speared the monster's midsection the moment it appeared. Edo cut off his explanation with a cry of pain. He fell forward to his knees as he felt voltage pulse through his injured body.

Saiou cackled evilly as he saw Edo writhe in pain. "I'll set one card facedown. Turn end!" the man chuckled harshly.

Edo heard this, and felt himself feel sick inside. Sick from the pain in his body and his heart. 'I can't do this. There's no guarantee that my victory will help Saiou anyways…it may be all in vain…'

"Edo…" a voice in the boy's mind called. Edo opened his eyes, amazed by the calm, mystic voice. But this voice was full of warmth and kindness.

"Saiou?" the boy wondered.

The man standing across the field narrowed his eyes. 'What's this? I sense a second presence in him…could it be...? No! Impossible! I destroyed him once I took over!'

"You, prepare to finally meet your downfall!" the boy across the field declared. However, the boy raised his head, revealing one firm eye that resembles Edo's, and another calmer, gentler, kinder gleam in the boy's right eye. "My turn, Draw!" He tore a card from his deck, confident that this duel was far from over.

**(Edo's Life Points 350, Saiou's Life Points 2100)**

**AJ**: Alrighty, took me long enough, but I finally fixed this chapter.

**Bil**: Darn right it took you long enough, what the hell, man!?!?

**AJ**: Hey, I had to finish up school and Graduate, Shisho.

**Bil**: So weak.

**AJ**: So true. Anyways, now that my story has OFFICIALLY been completed, I can now focus on continuing it. So, here's the plan:

Pro Leagues Arc: Judai has finally completed his dream of making it to the Pro Leagues. However, an evil seeking revenge manipulates from the shadows, unbeknownst to him. Not only that, but can our Hero-user finally facedown Hell Kaiser in a One-On-One fight in a Hell Match to determine once and for all who the greatest is?

Third Year Arc: Judai finishes up with the Pro League Tour in America and returns for his final year at Duel Academia. However, a former best friend from the past reveals himself, causing chaos to ensue. Can Judai defeat the man he once considered his best friend?

Man's Judgment Arc: With his best friend's 'insistence', Judai decides to enter a tournament he wishes he never had to see again. With new rivals he must deal with on his way to the Final Battle, Judai relies on his friends' help in order to settle the score with his former best friend. But when the man he faces will go to any lengths to his revenge, will Judai be able to cast off the guilt of his past in order to ensure the survival of his future?

(Uncertain Whether This Will Be Carried Out) Full Circle Arc: With Judai now gone in searching of the completion of his past, his friends wonder what to do about him and themselves. Some decide to search for him, while others decide to live on with their lives. Meanwhile, Judai fights desperately against a man whose only wish is to see Judai go down in flames. Can Judai's friends help him bring his past to Full Circle?

Epilogue: A Reunion is planned for Judai's year, but no one has seen him in several years. The group reminisces about their time at Duel Academia, and the topic soon comes to Judai. Will Judai finally make an appearance to his friends after neglecting them for so long? Will those closest to Judai even desire to want him back?

So, that's what I'm planning on. God only knows how long it will take me, but I plan on persevering till the end.

**Bil**: You really have no life, do you?

**AJ **: Meh, I like writing stories. So sue me.


	47. Breakthrough

**AJ**: Here's the second part of my Two-Part Special. This is for the fans that have expected to have more chapters, but have had only one in the past two weeks. Plus, I'll be gone from this Thursday to a week from Friday whilst I party with the Brits in England.

**Bil**: You SHOULD be taking me.

**AJ**: You're seventy years old you wouldn't keep up with our walking expedition.

**Bil**: Fine. But when you get back, prepare for the most unpleasant training regimen you have ever experienced.

**AJ**: O.O;;…Please…not that…

**Chapter 46: Breakthrough, The Friendship That Defied Fate**

Saiou declared, "I'll sacrifice The Moon and the High Priestess, allowing me to skip your next turn! Now, I attack you directly once again!" The creature charged up another laser-beam and fired.

"Trap, Open! Call of the Haunted! With this, I can special summon a monster from my graveyard in attack mode! I'll special summon Destiny Hero Dash--!" the white-colored laser speared the monster's midsection the moment it appeared. Edo cut off his explanation with a cry of pain. He fell forward to his knees as he felt voltage pulse through his injured body.

Saiou cackled evilly as he saw Edo writhe in pain. "I'll set one card facedown. Turn end!" the man chuckled harshly.

Edo heard this, and felt himself feel sick inside. Sick from the pain in his body and his heart. 'I can't do this. There's no guarantee that my victory will help Saiou anyways…it may be all in vain…'

"Edo…" a voice in the boy's mind called. Edo opened his eyes, amazed by the calm, mystic voice. But this voice was full of warmth and kindness.

"Saiou?" the boy wondered.

The man standing across the field narrowed his eyes. 'What's this? I sense a second presence in him…could it be...? No! Impossible! I destroyed him once I took over!'

"You, prepare to finally meet your downfall!" the boy across the field declared. However, the boy raised his head, revealing one firm eye that resembles Edo's, and another calmer, gentler, kinder gleam in the boy's right eye. "My turn, Draw!" He tore a card from his deck, confident that this duel was far from over.

**(Edo's Life Points 350, Saiou's Life Points 2100)**

Edo glared down Saiou from across the field. 'No, that isn't Saiou,' the boy told himself. 'The real Saiou's right here.' He looked to the side, and saw the spirit of his old friend. The older man looked ahead sadly, before turning to Edo, and smiling.

"Edo, I'm sorry for dragging you into this," Saiou told the boy.

"Hey, I should be thanking you!" Edo told the man. "You helped me through the hard times, almost since the time my father died, you and your sister have been there."

"I'm just…so sorry it had to go like this," Saiou said morosely. "I knew that my body was to be controlled, but I never told anyone, and tried to fight him myself, but I was far too weak." The spirit of the real Saiou lowered his head in shame.

"Hey, don't be like that," Edo soothingly told his friend. "You didn't know how strong the force would be! I even underestimated its power! I thought for certain I could claim victory, but I haven't been able to. Like I said, I owe you for helping me out of my depressed stated. The least I can do is help you retrieve your body. But this time, we do it together."

"Yes," Saiou nodded, "let's go!"

Edo looked at his newly drawn card and smirked. "I activate the effect of Destiny Hero Dasher! While he is in the Graveyard, I can reveal a monster card I have drawn in my Draw Phase to my opponent. Once I do, I can Special Summon the monster-in-question immediately!"

"Oh, come on. There's not a card in your deck that can save you now!" Saiou cackled. "What could you have possibly drawn to give you any sort of advantage?"

"I'll show you," Edo simply stated. "The card in my hand is Destiny Hero Dreadmaster! And I'll Special Summon him to the Field!" The giant muscle-pumped hero appeared near the top of the stadium and landed with a loud thud behind its master.

"I now activate Dreadmaster's effect! When he is Special Summoned, I am allowed to Special Summon up to two Destiny Heroes in my Graveyard to the Field! So I'll summon Dasher in attack mode, and Disk Guy in defense mode!" Edo declared. The two heroes appeared in a flash of light behind Dreadmaster, and sprung from behind the hero, landing in front of the Dreadmaster and Edo. "Now, Dreadmaster's attack and defense points become equal to the all the Destiny Heroes on my field, in this case 2400!"

"Now, Disk Guy's effect activates!" Edo announced. "When he is special summoned from the Graveyard, I draw two more cards!" He did so and looked at his new cards. "Dreadmaster, attack Arcana Force XXI! Dread Palm Smash! And, because of Dark City, his attack increases by 1000 to 3400!" The powered up monster leapt into the air and prepared its extremely large palm to crush the giant alien.

"Quick-Play Spell Activate, Sword of Clubs!" Saiou declared. Thousands of dark-colored swords began flying out from the picture on the card.

"You forget, when Dreadmaster is summoned to the field, all my Destiny Heroes are unaffected by card effects!" Edo shouted.

"It doesn't affect your monsters. Sword of Clubs allows me to discard one card, and in return, destroy one Magic or Trap card on the field!" Saiou explained. "So, when I discard The Hermit, I can destroy Dark City! Without it, your hero's attack lowers to 2400 again!" The background shattered as Dreadmaster slammed its palm into the alien monster.

"Dreadmaster's effect activates! When it is Special Summoned, no Destiny Heroes can be destroyed in battle and all Battle Damage they take is reduced to zero," Edo stated. Dreadmaster leapt backwards after its attack had no effect upon either.

Edo grimaced. He was so close to finishing the duel. Saiou sensed the disturbance in the youth's mind. "Don't fret, Edo," Saiou assured him. " We'll get him next time!"

Edo nodded, "Just a little disappointed that he was able to avoid that attack. But I'm not about to give up, yet!" Edo looked at his new cards, and selected one. "I'll place one card face down. I'll leave it there."

Saiou glared. "I can see you're newfound strength has come from your buddy, Saiou."

"Yeah," Edo nodded, "The real one is right here with me. Together, we will defeat you, and get back his body!"

"Sorry, but I still have work to do. I'll be using this body for a little while longer, at least until I take control of Judai," Saiou explained. "You can have this body back then, but it will be pointless then, as then you all will be bathed in the Light, and will be reborn!"

"That's not gonna happen!" Edo stated. "We won't let it!"

"We'll see, Draw! At my Standby Phase, The Hermit returns to my hand! Then, I am allowed to draw another card!" He looked at his two new cards. "I'll activate the Spell, Cup of Ace!" The spell card appeared face-up on the field and began spinning. "Your call. If it's Upright, I draw two cards; Reversed and you draw two cards. Of course, we all know how it will turn out, but we do have to follow through with the rules."

"Stop!" Edo shouted. The card slowed, passed the Reversed position, and landed Upright. Edo grumbled in annoyance, as Saiou took two cards from his deck.

"Now, I'll destroy your greatest monster! Arcana Force XXI! Attack Dreadmaster, and end this duel!" Saiou commanded as the diviner pointed at the hero. The creature charged up a laser, and aimed it at Dreadmaster. The white laser unloaded upon the Destiny Hero, and closed in on it.

"Trap, Open! D-Shield!" Edo ordered. The D-Hero bent down to one knee and a magnetic shield of debris shot up and blocked the laser from getting a direct hit upon the D-Hero. "This card is activated when you attack a Destiny Hero. This card is then equipped to the attack D-Hero, switching it to defense mode and making this card unable to be destroyed in battle!"

"Fine," Saiou grumbled. "You just keep stalling. I'll set a card and that's it."

"Draw!" Edo looked at his new card. "I activate Pot of Greed! Allowing me two draw a pair!" He took two more cards from his deck. "I'll sacrifice Dreadmaster, Disk Guy, and Dasher to summon Destiny Hero Dogma!" Light began to glow from the three D-Heroes on the field, till they disappeared and their spirits rose up into the sky. The three golden lights combined and grew. Out from the light came the devilish-looking Dogma, which received 'ooh's and 'ahh's from the crowd.

The hero descended to the ground behind Edo, as he smirked across the field. Saiou, for the first time he could remember, felt himself become nervous. He felt cold sweat on the back of his neck, and his stomach churn from the uncertainty of the results. "Saiou, you will be defeated here and now. My friend will get his body back, and this whole façade will end. Dogma! Attack Arcana Force XXI! Death Chronic!"

The Hero hovered in the air above the field and charged up within its hands a large purple ball of energy. The hero then fired large beam of energy, which struck Saiou's monster and then exploded in a brilliant flash. Saiou howled as red electricity tore through his body. Edo looked to the side and saw his friend grimace. "Sorry about that…" Edo muttered.

"Don't worry," the spirit answered, "compared to watching my body being used like it was for the past year, I can handle watching a little torment."

The attack subsided, revealing Saiou with his head down. "Is he…?" Edo wondered aloud.

But then the man lifted his head up, revealing a terrifying glare and a psychotic smirk. The man licked his lips evilly and rose to his full height. "Edo, you are exactly the kind of person I need in my conquest, and I will have you. Both you and Yuki Judai."

"Don't count on it," Edo snapped. "I'll set a card and activate the Permanent Spell, D-Formation. That's all."

"My turn, Draw!" Saiou called.

"I activate Dogma's effect!" Edo declared. "While it is on the field, your Life Points are divided into half every Standby Phase!" A purple light glowed around Dogma, followed by a similarly colored light around Saiou. Saiou felt himself being charged with voltage again as his Life Points dropped to 900 (S900, E350).

Saiou's sadistic smirk never left his face, however. The man seemed to revel in the pain. He enjoyed it. "I activate Graceful Charity, drawing three more cards." He picked up his three new cards. "I'll discard The Hermit and The Devil! Next I summon Arcana Force XVI, The Tower (0/2000), in defense mode!" A giant white cube appeared on the field in front of Saiou. The card of the creature appeared above the creature and began spinning. "Come, Edo, test your friendship against Destiny! We shall see which claims victory!"

Edo glared at the card and watched its spin. "Now!" the spirit commanded.

"Stop!" the pro declared. The card slowed and slipped passed the Upright position and stopped in the Reversed position. Edo's eyes widened in surprise and glee. "Alright!"

"Because it is in the upside down position, its defense points are reduced by 1000," Saiou stated. "I'll set a card and end." The cube became more faded, and slightly smaller.

"Draw!" Edo claimed. "I activate the Spell, D-Soul! With this, I can Special Summon one Level Four or lower D-Hero from my Graveyard, as long as it has 1000 attack points or less! I'll special summon D-Hero Disk Guy in defense mode! This allows me to draw two more cards!" He did so and looked at them. "Next I activate my facedown, D-Chain! I can equip this card to a D-Hero and increase that monster's attack by 500 points! I'll equip it to Dogma!" A chain soon wrapped itself around Dogma's arms.

"Dogma, attack The Tower!" The hero launched the chain from its wrists directly at The Tower. chain struck the cube and was destroyed. Saiou groaned in pain as he was electrified again. "Now, D-Chain's effect activates! When a monster equipped with this card destroys a monster, you lose 500 points of damage!" the chain ripped out from the ground and tore through Saiou's body, causing more electricity, and thus more agony.

"I end," Edo declared.

"Draw! Trap activate, Call of The Haunted! This allows me to Special Summon a monster from my graveyard! I'll choose The Devil!" The creature appeared on the field, its card emerging above it and spinning around in a circle.

Edo again waited for Saiou's ok. "Now!" Saiou called.

"Stop!" Edo ordered. Again, the card spun around and slowed to a stop in the Reversed position. Edo cheered, until he remembered the card's second effect.

"Arcana Force XV, attack!" Saiou ordered. "His effect now activates, when I use him to declare an attack while he is in the upside down position, all monsters on the field are destroyed!" The creature disappeared and in a flash reappeared on Edo's side. It wrapped its appendages around the two creatures before an explosion enveloped the lot of them.

Both duelists howled in pain as their monsters were incinerated. The two growled in anger and annoyance, yet both looked up, revealing their determination. As Saiou stared across the field, he noticed two lights on the D-Formation card glow. "I'll end," he simply stated.

"My Turn, Draw!" Edo looked at his new card. 'I've got no choice, I need to summon it now!' the boy thought hurriedly. "I activate the effect of D-Formation! This card gains a token whenever one of my monsters are destroyed. When it gains two, I can sacrifice this card and then retrieve two monster cards of the same name from my deck and add them to my hand, so I'll add two D-Cubic!" The boy withdrew his deck and took two D-Cubic from it. "Next, I'll summon a third D-Cubic!"

"What's that pathetic thing going to do?" Saiou snapped.

"It's just a stepping stone," Edo announced. "Now, I'm going to summon my ultimate monster! I'll sacrifice my D-Cubic, and in doing so activate its effect. By discarding D-Cubic monsters from my hand, I can add one to the number of tributes for each. So, because I discard 2 D-Cubic from my hand, the D-Cubic on my field counts for three tributes! And now, I can summon Destiny Hero Bloo-D!" An eerie chill descended upon the room as it grew dark. A swirling vortex emerged, as lightening crackled within it.

"What the…?" Fubuki breathed.

"What is that?" Asuka muttered.

"Why's it suddenly so cold all of a sudden?" Areka groaned as she shuddered.

"I've got a feeling…" Misawa replied.

Something became visible from the vortex. An object descended from the vortex down in front of Edo. "Meet the Ultimate D-Hero, Bloo-D!" The red shield spread open like wings, revealing the visage of the hero. A strong force spread out from the creature in the now-darkened room, though from the monster's energy or the monster's wings, no one could say.

"Next, I activate the Spell Card, D-Force!" Edo declared. He placed the face-up card on top of his deck. "Now, I can no longer draw any cards."

"What good will that do you? You are just restricting yourself!" Saiou announced, highly annoyed.

"Allow me to finish," Edo stated, "I don't need to draw any cards, because now, my cards cannot be targeted by magic, trap, or monster effects! Bloo-D, attack his Life Points directly! End this!" The monster opened its wings fully, and unleashed a rain of red projectiles directly at Saiou.

"I activate Arcana Force XIV Temperance's effect! By discarding this card to the grave, I can reduce Battle damage of one attack to zero!" Saiou announced confidently. The red projectiles struck the transparent form of the, and an explosion occurred.

The smoke subsided slightly on Saiou's field, though not entirely. However, the man's psychotic smirk was still visible. "Since you have no cards left in your hand, I'll assume you're done," the man said as he drew a card. "I activate my two facedowns, the Permanent Traps, The Material Road and The Spiritual Road." A strange eerie green and red light erupted from the two cards. "Then, I'll activate my Magic Card, The Heaven's Road." A white light flew up out of the card's picture, making Edo and Spirit-Saiou feel even more uncomfortable.

"By sending all three of these cards to the Graveyard, I can summon my monster. A monster without peer!" The lights combined into one giant beam of light. From within it, came a giant, hideous creature. No one could quite get a good look at it, however. "Light Ruler, Attack!" Saiou psychotically commanded.

Judai ran out from the entrance to the arena directly behind Edo's side of the field. He saw the giant creature emerge from within the light. "EDO!" the boy called frantically.

The pro stiffened, and looked behind him. Judai then realized Edo was wearing the shackles he himself had become so accustomed to recently. Edo smirked confidently. "Judai, looks like I'm out," Edo simply stated.

"What!?" Judai demanded to know exactly what was going on.

"I'm done, this will finish me," Edo explained, as he turned around. "I've got nothing left. It looks like it's up to you. We'll still have our decisive duel, so don't blow it."

Saiou's creature charged up a giant beam of energy. Edo glared determinedly at the ball of energy, before it launched upon Edo's Bloo-D. The light incinerated the hero effortlessly, as Edo screamed out in pain as the strike destroyed his hero, causing an enormous cloud of smoke to cover the field.

**AJ**: What happened to Edo? Does anyone know!?!? Bah, Not a great chapter, but I'm still happy of it's result. I think my styles gone bad slightly, however. I need Reviews to know for sure.

**Bil**: You suck, you know that?

**AJ**: Meh, I've been put down by better people. So here's part two of the Two Chappy Special. Now, I may or may not get another chapter up before I leave for England On Thursday, but I'm not making any promises. See you next time!

**Bil**: Where the hell are you going?

**AJ**: To bed. It's 1:30 AM.

**Bil**: Don't think so. You won't take me to England, so I'm going to give you the most unpleasant training regimen of your life until the time comes! MOVE IT!

**AJ**: -trudges dejectedly after Bil-…


	48. Have Faith

**AJ**: Ok, Now, this will be the ABSOLUTE last chapter that I shall type before England. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. This one will probably be a bit long, like Chapter…28 I believe it was?

**Bil**: 10 bucks says you'll type another.

**AJ**: Nope, after this, I don't do another until I get back from England in a week.

**Bil**: Bunghole.

**AJ**: Thank you.

Chapter 47: Have Faith! A Night At The Cliffs 

"Bloo-d! Attack his Life Points directly! End this!" The creature opened its wings fully and unleashed a rain of red projectiles directly at Saiou.

"I activate Arcana Force XIV Temperance's effect! By discarding this card from my hand, all damage done to me is reduced, I can reduce the damage of one attack to zero!" Saiou announced confidently. The red projectiles struck a transparent form of the alien and an explosion occurred.

The smoke subsided slightly on Saiou's field, though not entirely. However, the man's psychotic smirk was still visible. "Since you have no cards left in your hand, I'll assume you're done," the man stated as he drew a card. "I activate my two facedowns, The Material Road and The Spiritual Road." The two trap cards flipped open and strange eerie red and green glow erupted from the two cards. Saiou held up the card he had just drawn, and stated, "I'll now play the Normal Spell, The Heaven's Road." An eerie violet-tinged light shot up as the diviner held the card in the air.

"By sending all three of these cards to the grave yard, I can Special Summon from my hand, a monster that has no peer!" The three lights combined into one. From within it came a giant, hideous creature, though no one could quite get a good look at it. "Arcana Force EX, The Light Ruler!" Saiou psychotically cackled. "Attack!"

Judai ran out from the entrance behind Edo in the duel arena. He saw the giant creature from within the light and called out to the pro. "EDO!!" he screamed over the din of the summoning.

The pro stiffened slightly and looked behind him. It was then that Judai realized that Edo was wearing the same shackles he had become so accustomed to recently. Edo smirked confidently at the boy. "Judai, looks like I'm out," he simply stated.

"What!?" Judai hollered. He demanded to know exactly what was going.

"I'm done," Edo restated, "this attack will finish me." He turned around. "I've got nothing left. It looks like it's up to you. Don't forget, we still need to have our decisive duel. So, don't blow it."

Saiou's creature charged up a beam of energy. Edo turned back around and glared determinedly at the ball of energy, before it launched upon Edo's Bloo-D. The light incinerated the hero effortlessly, as Edo screamed out in pain as the strike destroyed his hero and covered the field in a cloud of smoke.

"EDO!" Judai screamed. The force of the attack knocked Judai off his feet and down to one knee. 'What the…? That was too strong to be a hologram,' the boy mused. He looked on into the field. The smoke from the attack slowly dissipated from existence, first revealing Saiou standing on the opposite field with his new psychotic gleam and evil smirk. The smoke then cleared enough to display the entire duel field, and lying on the ground a few feet from the steps was Edo, wide-eyed and immobile, much like Asuka previously was.

"Edo! EDO! DAMN IT!" Judai leapt up onto the duel stage and knelt down next to his rival. "Buddy, c'mon, don't do this to me. Gimme a sign here!" He began feeling his wrist for a pulse, and found a weak one. He felt the presence of others directly behind him, revealing that his friends were behind him.

He felt the presence of someone in front of him walk towards him. "Don't worry, Judai. He isn't in any mortal danger like Asuka-san was. He will awaken after our duel, and depending upon the winner will tell if he exists with his free will or not. I'm sure you don't have to be told whose victory will decide that, now do you?"

"Saiou…" Judai claimed through clenched teeth.

"Someone friend you are," the man continued, "left to fend for himself because you decided not to join because of our little discussion earlier, now look what happened to him?"

"Shut up…" Judai ordered, feeling the anger rise from within him.

"This isn't the first time either, is it?" Saiou pressed. "Your friends, Asuka, Manjoume, Misawa, all feel to my influence do to your inaction and choices. Face it, fate is real. Destiny is real. And you are destined to serve under me."

"Shut UP!" Judai demanded sternly.

"Judai didn't cause us to join you!" Misawa firmly replied.

"Yeah," Manjoume added, "it was that crappy voodoo of yours that messed with our heads!"

"YOU are the cause of my sister's pain!" Fubuki announced. "Judai didn't have anything to do with it!"

"Whatever makes you happy," Saiou mused. "Pretty soon, you'll only be worried about the Light. And it will all be thanks to this boy here." He gestured to Judai.

Judai rose to his feet. "I swear Saiou," the boy firmly shot. "I swear on my life, that I WILL take you down. For my friends. For Edo. And for the universe! I'm going to end this."

Saiou began to cackle madly. "That's good! The more you prepare, the sweeter it will be when you finally fall!" He walked away still cackling with his psychotic laughter.

The group watched him go, before Ayukawa came with a stretcher. Fubuki, Manjoume, Misawa, and Judai all helped place Edo onto the stretcher and carted him off to the infirmary. Judai followed slowly behind as they hurried of to the infirmary room, thinking about his upcoming duel with Saiou.

About an hour in the infirmary, Ayukawa confirmed to them what Judai had already predicted. Edo was unconscious, but there were no signs of him waking up. He was, however, in a stable condition, and there appeared to be no threats to his health, other than him being unable to respond to anyone or anything.

The group walked back to the dorm a little while later, after eating in the cafeteria. They all noticed that the normally energetic Judai, however, had barely touched his food and was quiet in deep thought the entire time. Nobody pressed him, but it worried some of them, Sho and Asuka especially.

"Aniki?" Sho finally broke the silence. "Are you alright?"

Judai gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"You're not blaming yourself again, are you?" Sho continued.

"No, it wasn't my fault. I know that," Judai confirmed. "I'm just a little shocked that Edo would lose before he met up with me in the Finals, that's all."

"No doubt," Manjoume said, "I would've thought that Edo, a pro, would've been able to beat that novice."

"Don't forget," Misawa explained, "with that Light of Ruin, he can control destiny."

"Yeah, Aniki!" The Yellow Ojama screeched in the boy's ear. "He _was _able to beat you, don't you remember?"

Manjoume swatted the little creature away. "I'm trying not to, shrimp," he quietly barked.

"In any case, I think Judai will be in for the fight of his life," Fubuki muttered behind them.

"Aniki, let's go prep that deck of yours!" Kenzan announced.

"No, guys," Judai stated. "I told you, I'm doing this on my own. As much as I appreciate it, I need to beat Saiou on my own. Like I said, whenever you guys try to fight him, you seem to get hurt or in trouble. I can't have that over my conscience."

"But Judai…" Areka started.

"But nothing," Judai retorted. "This time, it's for keeps. Besides, one of you may be needed to duel Saiou, Edo, or me, if, for some reason, I can't win."

'Judai's never sounded this morose or unconfident before,' Asuka though. 'What's wrong with him…?'

The next few days up until the Championship match seemed to creep by slowly. Asuka and the others would try to help Judai anyway they could, but if they delved too deep, he would walk away or try to say something else came up. Everyone could see it, however. Yuki Judai was nervous, tired, and a loner. Every time the saw the boy, it seemed like he had more bags under his eyes, and his gait became heavier from the weight of this duel along with his fatigue.

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Manjoume finally erupted on the night of the championship duel. "THE WAITING WILL KILL ME BEFORE THE DUEL EVEN HAPPENS!!!"

"Calm down," Misawa shot. "If the waiting is doing this to you, just think of what it's doing to…ahh, ahem…" He stopped as he watched Asuka enter the room.

"Tenjoin-kun!" Manjoume lost himself. "Come sit with me!"

Asuka just rolled her eyes, but seeing there was no other room, sat down next to him. She just looked out the window, instead of at the boy, however. They all sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So…" Fubuki finally broke the silence. "Big day tomorrow…" was all he was able to say.

"Oh, come on, guys!" Kenzan perked up. "Aniki will win that duel hands down!"

"I don't know about that…" Sho muttered.

"Marufuji-sempai!" Kenzan snapped. "You've lost your faith in our Aniki!?"

"No…but…" Sho couldn't quite place into words what he was feeling. "I haven't lost any faith in him…but…"

"Judai has lost faith within himself," Asuka finished.

"What do you mean, Asuka?" Junko inquired.

"Yes, what's wrong with Judai?" Momoe asked.

Asuka gulped. "I didn't tell you guys this before, but…after his duel with Kaiser, I was searching for him, because he didn't meet up with us afterwards, like we agreed…

_Saiou began cackling evilly. "You still don't understand what's going on, do you? I'm playing with a loaded deck. The power of the Light flows through me, allowing me to see the future, and know exactly what is coming. Not even Edo will be able to defeat me. And once I beat you in the Finals, my victory will be assured."_

"_What, you're going to use me to take over the world, is that it?" Judai spat. "Well, sorry, but that's not what's going to happen. I don't plan on losing. I'm going to free you from the Light of Ruin, and pay it back for hurting my friends!"_

_Saiou looked at Judai with an odd look on his face. It was a confused look, like he didn't know what the boy was talking about. An evil smirk spread across Saiou's face, as he began laughing haughtily from the statement. A white aura grew out from the man's body and overshadowed him and Judai._

_Judai began feeling cold sweat on the back of his neck, but he stood as firm as he possibly could. "What's so funny? Huh?" Judai shouted angrily. "I've got it right, haven't I?"_

"_You're such a fool, I thought you would have figured it out by now," Saiou said. "My quest is not for the world, well not at least in its present form. My plan, Judai, is to use you to baptize then entire universe in the Light! Once you and Edo are my pawns, I will begin the ultimate transformation, the greatest journey! Starting with this world, all will be annihilated, and then reborn into the Light!"_

"_What the hell are you talking about!?" Judai roared. Visions began flashing in front of his eyes. They showed Saiou, flanked by Edo and himself, walking through many worlds, each being destroyed. Moments later, the planet would be reformed, only this time it will be painted entirely white. All the inhabitants then began to cry out in praise for The Light. "What, is this!?"_

"_This, Yuki Judai, is the fate of the worlds will we conquer, once you and Edo are mine!" Saiou gleamed._

_Judai watched in horror as the entire universe began glowing brightly in white. The boy shielded his eyes, as he was unable to bear the brightness of the shine. Moments later, the visions disappeared. Judai regained the feeling in his arms, but was shaking badly from the horrors he had just seen. He fell to his knees and leaned forward onto his hands. His heart raced at the wanton destruction. "I'm going…to do that?"_

"_If you lose," Saiou stated. "And judging the way you protected your friends before, I'd say that this world is in trouble. Now you know the stakes of our duel, Yuki Judai. Can you bear the weight of the world on your shoulders? The weight each and every hero must carry? Do you understand now?" The man smirked and began chuckling. He turned around and walked away towards the duel field. "I suggest you say one last good-bye to your friends before our duel, as you will never see them again. Oh, and you know what can happen to them if they get involved without me showing you, right?"_

_Judai felt hot tears sting his eyes. "Damn…it…" Judai stammered. "I…I can't do this. The weight, it's too much…I'm not able to carry these kinds of stakes. I'm just not strong enough."_

"…and that's what happened," Asuka concluded somberly. Again the room was silent, so silent that all they heard was the blowing wind against the dorm room.

"So," Fubuki finally broke the silence again, "Saiou showed Judai what this duel means, how much effect it has not only on the world, but the entire universe."

"Mm-hmm," Asuka nodded.

"It's settled then, someone needs to go talk to Judai," Fubuki stated. Everyone looked at him with a cocked eyebrow or a gaped mouth. "Look, Saiou obviously wants Judai to be thinking about this, if he would show him that. Apparently, he hopes Judai would not be at the top of his game. I have a feeling that, although Judai somehow managed to escape Saiou's influence once before, it will be hard to do so again."

"Yeah, but…" Sho began. "He's been avoiding us lately. He's not even answering his door…"

"Indeed. We will have to catch him before the duel tomorrow," Fubuki stated. He then yawned. "For now, let's go to sleep. We'll need to catch him early, to make sure we have time to discuss this with him." With that, the group silently went to sleep.

Judai sat on his bed. He was resting his eyes for a moment, before continuing looking over his deck, which he must have done a couple thousand times over the last few days. He never used to check his deck that much, and it bothered him that he was so nervous.

'Then again,' he wondered, 'this isn't like any other duel.' He felt himself slowly drifting off when his PDA began to beep. Judai groaned as he slid over to the side and peered at the E-mail he had gotten. His eyes widened in curiosity at the sender.

"Kaiser…?" he wondered. "The usual spot, huh?" He immediately grabbed his duel disk, deck, and left his dorm silently, not wanting to wake the others up.

Asuka stood at the window in her room. She had tired sleeping, but just couldn't. Those eyes of Judai, they showed a tired, lonely, depressed, and lost soul. She hated Judai looking like that, mostly because it didn't suit him, at all.

The girl stifled a yawn. She just couldn't go to sleep, as if her mind wouldn't shut down. Her body, however, was as tired as she had ever remembered it being. "Judai…what's with you?" she muttered. "You were always full of confidence and warmth before. It seems like it has disappeared."

She then saw some movement in front of her. She hid slightly behind a drape to be unseen, when she saw that the prowler was Judai. 'Where's he going?' the Obelisk girl wondered. Judai seemed to be heading for the cliffs he was always so fond of. 'One way to find out what he's up to…'

She pulled on her slippers, and momentarily debated changing, before deciding that she already had her slippers on and that her nightgown was probably warmer in these conditions anyways. She opened the door, and crept down the hallway. She thought she was free out the door when she heard, "Where are _you_ going?"

She whipped around and saw the broadly grinning face of her ever-nosy brother, Fubuki. "Onii-san…" she began, "I was just going out for a walk…"

"In your night gown?"

"I was just getting a drink…"

"This is the one room in Osiris that _has_ indoor plumbing."

Now she was stuck. She just couldn't get an idea into her head. "Umm…I was going…"

"…To go have that conversation with Judai?" Fubuki finished.

Asuka felt the heat in her face rise, and although it was dark, she knew that Fubuki could sense it. "Asuka, why do you have to hide your feelings for him…?"

"Well…I…don't…even know if he feels the same way…" she mumbled.

"You will never know unless you ask," Fubuki told her. "I have a feeling that you may be surprised at his answer."

"But…" Asuka stammered.

"Tell you what," Fubuki answered, "you tell him how you feel tonight, and I'll stop pestering you about getting a boyfriend, regardless of his answer. Deal?"

"We'll see," she muttered, but changed her mind at Fubuki's glare. "I mean deal." She opened the door and left.

'Sis, you probably won't do it openly,' Fubuki thought, 'but I think I have a way to get you guys to see…' He looked at Pharaoh with a devious grin on his face.

Judai stood at the edge of the cliff, waiting for his rival to meet him. "This was a pretty late time to meet up," he yawned to himself.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting for something," Kaiser sneered walking up on the side of him.

"Kaiser," Judai grumbled as he turned and faced the pro. "Why drag me out so late?"

"Whatever," Kaiser scoffed. "By the look on your face, you probably weren't even asleep when I E-mailed you."

"Says you," Judai shot. "What is it you want?"

"I came here to talk about your upcoming duel with Saiou," Kaiser stated. "Though I'm not happy that I need to root for you, but who knows what that psycho would do should he win. I'm sure you know by what you saw from earlier today…"

"If you're here to tell me that I need to become Richter Davis in order to defeat Saiou, forget it," Judai cut in. "I'm not turning back into that creation anymore. Not now, not tomorrow, not ever."

Kaiser narrowed his eyes at the boy, growling at his insistence to ignore reason. Then Kaiser whirled around and began to leave. "Then you will be defeated like Asuka and Edo. I just wonder what a psychotic version of Judai would appear like."

Asuka had followed Judai to his favorite spot again but upon seeing Kaiser, hid behind a tree. She strained her ears to overhear their conversation, but could barely catch any of it. She made a silent cheer at Judai's vow to never go back to being Richter Davis. She waited a few moments, watching the boy.

Judai turned back around and peered out over the ocean. "It seems so peaceful. Quiet." He sighed heavily, closed his eyes, and fell to his back. He almost fell asleep till he felt the eyes of someone peering at him. He opened them slightly to see an angel peering down at him.

"What the…?" He noticed this angel was wearing a nightgown. Upon further inspection, this angel also had golden hair and brown eyes. He realized that this was no ordinary angel. "Asuka?!" he announced.

"Hey there!" she smirked. "Always fall asleep in the middle of nowhere?"

Judai leapt to his feet and brushed himself off. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I could say the same for you," Asuka shot back, walking up next to him. "You're the one who has a Championship match tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah," he groaned.

After a moment of silence, Asuka finally asked, "Judai, what's wrong?" Judai cocked an eyebrow at her. "You've been avoiding us the past week, but I've yet to understand why. Could you tell me?"

Judai looked at her eyes, knowing he couldn't ignore them. He felt the truth coming from his diaphragms up through his throat and out. "I…I…don't think I can win," he shamefully whispered.

"Why not?" she inquired. "What makes this different from any other duel you've been in?"

"Asuka, this one is for the fate of the universe! If I lose this, I become this killing machine that exists only to bend those of others into this Light of Ruin thing," Judai stated shakily. "I…just don't have the strength. I'm not qualified to be the hero you guys want me to be…" He lowered his head in shame.

Asuka looked at the boy's heavy shoulders, listened to his morose words, saw the pain in his face and the sorrow of what he could become should he lose. She needed to help him somehow. So, she did the only thing she could think of. She grabbed a hold of him in a strong hug.

Judai was taken aback by the Obelisk's sudden movement and hug. "Asuka…?" he whispered.

The girl began sobbing into his arm. "I'm sorry, Judai…"

"For what…?"

"You always seem to be the hero, and you always are placed on this pedestal that, if you should fall, will cause you to splat into the ground. I tried to help lower that platform…even take away some of the weight. But I couldn't. I wasn't strong enough to do so. I'm so weak."

"Asuka…you're not…"

"Please, Judai, no matter what, always remember, that no matter how high the pedestal, that your friends always want you to come back. We will stand at the bottom of the tower, and await for you, whether you come down by yourself, or if you happen to be knocked off, and we must catch you. We will be there. Promise me…you'll remember that…"

"Asuka…" Judai couldn't believe that he had seen Asuka break down like this. But he somehow had regained new vigor from her statement. "I promise." And he felt the girl smile at his declaration through his sleeve.

Suddenly, they heard a meowing. The Judai looked back and saw Pharaoh jumping after Daitokuji's spirit from the branch. Pharaoh, however, missed the spirit and was flying right towards the two. The cat slammed into Asuka's back, and knocked the two duelists over and onto the ground, Asuka on top of Judai.

Judai had to take a moment to realize where he was, as his head slammed into the ground. He shook his head to regain his sense. He heard a quiet 'I'm Sor--' from Asuka, before he looked up to see what had stopped her. Not that he was blaming her, but he wondered if she saw something.

He realized that Asuka's head was barely five inches away from his own. Her gentle body laid on top of him. The two's faces flushed deeply, but neither could look away. They inched closer and closer, till each could feel the breath on one another's lips…

The two heard a crash and a groan. They immediately snapped back out of their paradise, and looked to see whom it was. It was Fubuki, with a camera, trying to take a picture of Asuka and Judai. However, it appeared the branch had snapped underneath the older man, and caused him to come careening to the ground.

"FUBUKI!" the two yelled, half angry, half playfully.

"Darn," Fubuki moaned, "I almost had them…"

**AJ**: Wow, that was long.

**Bil**: Pretty good, though. Good way to end your last chapter before your lousy break.

**AJ**: Yep…-yawns-…welp, G'night.

**Bil**: Nuh-uh, we've got training, Moron. Let's go. –drags him off into the forest-

**AJ**: Ass…


	49. The Final Round Begins

**AJ**: Back in the saddle fresh out of England!!!!

**Bil**: Loser.

**AJ**: Good to see you to, Master.

**Bil**: Just type the story, Stupid.

**AJ**: Yes, Master. Let's Get Things Started! Yu-Gi-Oh! Fight All Set! Ready? Go!

Chapter 48: The Final Round Begins; The Chosen One Vs. The Light 

Judai pulled up his jeans and stood staring out the window from his bedroom overlooking the sea as he tightened his belt around his waist. He sighed at the beautiful view the stretched over the ocean, and how this may be the last time he gets a view like this. The boy immediately dismissed the thought, knowing that that's what Saiou wants him to think.

'No matter how different this duel is from any other, I can't allow myself to become worried or unconfident,' Judai mused. 'That is exactly what Saiou wants me to do. If he can find any advantage, he'll use it. I can't give him that chance.'

He stuffed the last bit of his black undershirt into his jeans, noting that he'd have to stop putting on his belt before placing his undershirt on next time, and then slid his arms through the sleeves on his jacket. He placed his deck in his holder and slid his duel disk up his left arm. The duelist took one last glance out over the ocean, and then exited out the door. "Wait for me, Saiou," Judai muttered, "I'm coming to settle this once and for all!"

As he closed the door behind him, he unexpectedly heard a, "Hi!" He turned around and saw Asuka, Misawa, Manjoume, Fubuki, Areka, Momoe, Junko, Sho, and Kenzan all standing at the bottom of the steps.

"What're you guys doing here?" he wondered aloud.

"Waiting for you," Asuka stated. "We thought you'd like some company on your walk to the school."

Judai smirked, but then frowned, as he noticed someone was missing. "Edo's still out, I imagine?" Asuka's face fell, as she nodded in response. "I see…" Judai breathed.

"Don't worry about him," Fubuki stated. "Someone with that big of an ego won't be down for long." Fubuki grinned before continuing, "You just worry about defeating Saiou."

"Right," Judai agreed. He walked down the steps and joined the rest of the group. He gave them all a reassuring smile and nod, and they all began walking towards the Duel Academia Duel Arena.

Saiou stood in the middle of the duel arena with Edo's white suitcase and his duel disk and deck at the ready. "Time," he muttered, "it's almost time, Yuki Judai. The Wheel of Destiny is beginning to slow down and from the looks of things, it'll be stopping in my favor."

The diviner opened his eyes and looked out over the crowds that had gathered. He cackled evilly to himself, knowing that the time was coming for them all. 'Soon, very soon, you will all bask in the light, and will know of nothing else,' the man mused happily.

Time. Everything was based on time. He had been close. Oh, so very close when Edo had originally defeated Judai at the beginning of the school year. If Judai had only made it easy, and simply fell to the Light as his friends did, then this Tournament wouldn't even have mattered.

Saiou chuckled again. "It hardly matters anymore," Saiou grinned. "In a matter of minutes, I'll have both Judai and Edo under my control, and then…" He began giggling madly at the wanton destruction and subsequent resurrection would entail. "Prepare yourself, Yuki Judai," Saiou muttered. "This is a challenge you have never experienced before!"

Judai stood in the locker room a few yards outside the duel arena, making last minute checks on his duel equipment and deck. His friends stood silently, watching him as he prepared himself for the upcoming duel. Judai sifted through the cards in his deck, checking to make sure they were all present and accounted for. He reached his Winged Kuriboh card, which came out and began to coo at him for support. Judai smiled at the creature. "Don't worry, Aibou," Judai whispered. "I trust you guys with my life."

The Ojama Brothers then appeared next to the Winged Kuriboh Duel Spirit. "Please, Mr. Judai!" Ojama Green pleaded.

"You gotta beat Saiou in revenge for taking our Aniki!" Ojama Black announced.

"No one else can do it!" Ojama Yellow told the youth. "It's gotta be you!"

"I got it covered," the duelist smiled. He sifted through the rest of his cards, before the door opened.

Chronos's head peered from around the corner. "Senior Judai!" he called loudly. Judai lifted his head slightly at the teacher. "It's time."

Judai nodded. Chronos closed the door behind him. Judai looked at his friends, and broke the uneasy silence that had settled upon them since the beginning of the morning, "Well, guys, it looks like this is it."

The others just stared at him, some determinedly, others concerned, but all taking in what could be the last time they saw Judai as his normal self. Judai stood up and began walking to the door. "I guess I'll, see you later."

"Wait," Manjoume's voice spoke. Judai turned to him, rather surprised at the boy's stopping. "Don't worry about the result of the duel, Judai. Just go out there and duel your best. It's all you can do now."

"He's right," Misawa added. "There's no use in worrying about something that may never happen."

"You just worry about the present," Areka continued. "There'll be plenty of time later to wonder about the future."

"We're all rooting for you, Aniki," Sho stated. "You're definitely going to win!"

"Marufuji-sempai's right," Kenzan agreed. "You're the best duelist out of everyone here and you'll be able to beat Saiou."

"You guys…" Judai muttered. He felt several people latch onto him and looked down to see Junko and Momoe crying into his jacket. "What're you…?"

"Don't lose, Judai!" Junko shouted.

"We don't want to see Asuka hurt anymore than she already is!" Momoe screeched. Both Judai and Asuka blushed slightly at this.

"Judai," Fubuki cut in, "go for it."

"I will…" They all turned their eyes on Asuka who was standing directly across from Judai. She looked at him sadly, wanting the moment to last forever. She didn't want to think of what would happen to him should he lose the duel. It made her sick inside to think that.

"Well," Judai finally broke the silence as he jabbed his thumb at the door, "I should get going." He opened the door and stepped through it, the door slowly closing behind him.

Asuka watched his heavy gait as he left. She didn't want to say anything, as she felt it might've been a goodbye. But as she heard his footsteps lead away from the locker room, she felt her heart lashed out at her for not saying anything. She rushed to the door, flung the door open and screamed at the top of her lungs, "JUDAI, WAIT!"

Judai stalled and turned to face her. She looked at him, and smiled warmly. "Please, don't lose."

Judai stared deep into her eyes, before smirking himself and giving her a thumbs-up. "I don't plan to." Asuka nodded encouragingly as Judai turned around and walked towards the arena.

Fubuki stepped through the doorway and placed a gentle hand on Asuka's shoulder, causing her to flinch a bit before facing him. "We need to go find some seats. Judai's going to need all the help he can get," he told her.

Judai inched closer to the arena and the roaring crowds. He stalled just before the entrance, took in a deep breath, and let it out. "Heroes, please guide me through this…" he whispered. He then walked forward and into the arena, as the crowds cheered. He barely heard Chronos announce his name over the intercom as he hopped up the steps and onto the duel platform.

Judai's attention, however, was all focused on the task at hand. He saw standing at the other end of the duel field, Saiou Takuma. They both walked towards the middle of the field and stared at each other; one in amusement, the other determinedly. "Well, Judai, I'll give you one last chance to submit willingly to the light," Saiou offered. "Care to accept?"

"I spent a week without any sleep thinking about this moment, and you honestly believe that I'll back out now?" Judai wondered annoyed.

Saiou coughed slightly in enjoyment. "It was worth a try," the man said, handing Judai his deck. Judai did the same and they each shuffled the decks. "You'll regret not joining me under your own power, because we will settle this with these," Saiou stated, opening up the briefcase and revealing black and red shackles.

"Wait, I'm not dueling with those!" Judai angrily shouted. "There's no honor in that!" he argued.

"Do it," Saiou stated, "or I will use my powers right now to eliminate Edo."

Judai grimaced. "You wouldn't dare…"

"Try me," Saiou answered. "That fool of a friend of Edo's is gone, now the only thing keeping me from destroying him is the Light's ultimate victory. However, I only need to be rid of him if I defeat you, meaning there's no reason for me to keep him alive except to hasten the rebirth of the universe."

Judai growled in annoyance, "Dirty cheat…"

"So? Will you put them on?" Saiou inquired playfully.

"…Fine." He grabbed the shackles and hooked them onto his neck, arms, and legs while Saiou did the same. The decks returned, they both headed back to their respective sides of the field and faced each other.

An eerie silence crept into the room as an increasingly psychotic look grew on Saiou's face. The visage bent and twisted into such a greedy look that it didn't appear to come from a human anymore.

Judai felt sweat perspire on the back of his neck and gulped. He remained steadfast in the face of the opponent, however. Judai felt a cold chill slide up his spine. At first he thought it was from within him, but noticed a freezing breeze had entered the arena. "Where is that coming from…?"

Saiou began cackling. Judai faced him once again, and noticed a white aura surrounding the diviner. "And now, Judai…"

The youth nodded nervously, but announced forcefully, "Let's go!" Both duelists tore 5 cards from their decks as their Life Point meters switched on to 4000. The holographic technology hummed to life, as the two finalists both hollered:

"**DUEL!**"

The group of friends watched from a few rows back. "Here we go," Fubuki muttered.

Areka looked to the side at Misawa, "What sort of chance do you give Judai?"

"I don't know," the statistician answered. "In terms of experience and abilities, Judai has Saiou beat, hands down. But those shackles are a wild card and can create a whole new game; a game that doesn't just rely on LP, but monsters destroyed and number of attacks on an opponent as well."

"Saiou's strategy seemed to work on Edo," Manjoume stated, "we'll see how it works on Judai."

"I'll start, Draw!" Saiou announced. "I summon Knight of Sword (1000/1000) in attack mode!" A monster draped in red and white with two spears for arms floated on the field. A card of the creature appeared above the monster's head and began spinning. "Go ahead and call out you stop, as it won't matter. It will be Upright." Judai did call for the card to stop, and indeed, it halted in a position that helped Saiou.

Saiou grinned maliciously. 'Judai, if you only knew the horrors I had planned for you for denying the Light it's rule for so long…' he thought with glee. "I'll finish by setting two cards facedown."

"Here I Go, Draw!" Judai tore a card from his deck before revealing it. "I summon Bubbleman! And since he's the only card on my field, I can draw two more cards!" He did so and peeked at them. "I'll now activate one of them, Bubble Rod! When I equip this card to Bubbleman, his attack points increase by 800!" A small scepter appeared in Bubbleman's hand as his attack doubled.

"Go Bubbleman, attack his Knight of Sword!" The Hero leapt into the air and aimed his new weapon directly at Knight of Sword. The small rod began glowing with a bright blue light, which then fired at Saiou's creature.

"If you're going to be this careless, then my victory is assured with or without destiny," Saiou stated eagerly. "Trap Open, Sword of Diamond!"

"Already?" Judai inquired.

"It's a trap I can activate when you attack one of my monsters," Saiou explained, as his evil smirk grew wider. "The selected monster is then sacrificed, and your monster is destroyed. And since my creature is only sacrificed, I don't feel any pain. You, however…" Saiou began cackling evilly.

Judai's eyes flashed and growled in annoyance. Hundreds of diamonds appeared behind Saiou's creature, which disappeared by order of sacrifice. The diamonds then shot at Bubbleman. Some were destroyed by the blast, halting the attack from reaching Saiou, and the rest skewered Bubbleman, which disappeared in an explosion. Judai howled as red electricity ripped through Judai's body.

"D…Damn it…" he weakly groaned after the electricity subsided. He straightened up. "I've got an effect, too! When Bubble Rod is sent to the Graveyard, I can draw one more card from my deck!" He took another card from his deck and peered at it. He chose that and another card, before saying, "I'll set a pair. That's it."

"I've got one more effect," Saiou declared, "Knight of Sword's."

"But he's in the Graveyard!" Judai retorted. "What can he do!?"

"If I sacrifice this face up card on the field for a card effect while this card is in the Upright position, this card is special summoned back to my field in the same position it was before at the End Phase of the turn it was sacrificed," Saiou answered. A white light glowed brightly in front of Saiou and floating up from the ground came the creature that had been sent to the graveyard earlier.

"Now, I Draw! I'll discard one card from my hand in order Summon Arcana Force V, The Heirophant!" Saiou placed the card on the ground as the giant spider-like creature appeared on the field. Despite Judai's best efforts to stop the card in his favor, it froze in the Upright position. "Now, Heirophant, attack Judai directly!" One of the appendages dug into the ground erupted and shot at Judai.

"Trap Open, A Hero Emerges!" Judai called. "You select a card in my hand and if it's a monster, I get to Special Summon it!" Judai held up his hand with the backs of his cards to Saiou. "Go on, Saiou, choose!"

"You think luck will help you? I know all," Saiou stated. 'Unbeknownst to you, I even know that the card I will choose shall be a monster, but it's all part of destiny,' the diviner mused. "The card in the middle!"

"Thanks! I summon Clayman in defense mode!" Judai called.

"I'll halt my attack and end my turn," Saiou simply said.

"My Turn, Draw! I'll summon Sparkman, in attack mode!" The yellow-armored hero appeared on the field in an attack-ready position.

"I activate a Spell from my hand," Saiou stated.

"What?" Judai gasped. "It's my turn, you can't do that!"

"With this card, Fate's Intervention, I can," Saiou stated holding up a card. "When you summon a monster to your field, I can discard this card. Then, I am allowed to activate a Normal Spell card from my hand. The Spell I play is Suit of Sword X!" The card appeared on the field as he slid the card into his duel disk and began rotating once again. Judai glared as he focused all his attention upon the card in front of him. "Judai, Fate has already determined how this card will land, and Fate has determined that it will land Upright!"

"I've had all I can stand with your freaking Destiny talk!" Judai roared. "It's that kind of thing that turned my friends into perverse versions of themselves!"

"You don't have to believe me," Saiou responded. "Just tell it to stop and see for yourself." Judai declared it to stop, and as Saiou predicted, it turned Upright. "Now, because of this, all monsters on your side of the field are instantly destroyed." Hundreds of swords appeared above the two heroes on Judai's field. They then flew at a blinding speed, spearing the two heroes which both exploded in a blaze of glory. Judai grunted as voltage tore through his body once again.

"Aniki!" Sho and Kenzan called.

"Hang in there!" Areka cheered.

Once the lightening had halted, Judai looked at his hand again. "I'll activate O-Over Soul! This card allows me to Special Summon a Normal Elemental Hero from my graveyard to the field. I'll special summon Sparkman in attack mode!" The electricity-based hero once again appeared on the field.

Saiou chuckled lightly. "Still won't give up, will you?"

"Can it!" Judai shot back. "I'll do whatever it takes to take you down! Sparkman, attack Knight of Sword!" The Lightening-based hero took a bolt of lightening from the sky and formed it into a spear within his hand. He then sent the bolt directly at Saiou's creature.

"So predictable," Saiou commented haughtily, "Trap Open, High Priestess's Chant!" The card began rotating around and around as so many of Saiou's card's did.

"Now what?" Judai grumbled.

"When this card is activated, you draw a card," Saiou told the youth as Judai did so. "Next, its position determines its effect. If it lands Reversed, then you are allowed to summon or activate the effect of one card in your graveyard. If it's Upright, which by Fate's foretelling it will be, then I can summon or activate the effect of a card in my Graveyard."

Once again, the card landed Upright, causing Judai to grimace. "Well, what do you know? I think I'll activate my Sword of Diamond trap card. And by sacrificing the monster you're attacking, I can destroy your attack hero, namely Sparkman!" Once again a white light absorbed Saiou's creature, and hundreds of diamonds appeared in front of Sparkman. The diamonds riddled the hero's body and destroyed the hero in a large explosion.

Judai howled in pain once again as the red electricity poured out from the duelist's shackles through his limbs. Judai dropped to his knees as his body quivered uncontrollably in agony. His breathing became more intense as he felt his body go slightly numb.

"Aniki!" Sho and Kenzan hollered.

"Judai!" The rest called out to him.

"This is so unfair!" Sho shouted. "Saiou's deck is built exactly for this kind of match!"

"That's why he wanted Judai to agree to it," Misawa learned. "He wants to weaken Judai, to force him into a mindset that calls for desperation instead of common sense."

"There's one problem with Saiou's logic," Asuka replied, somewhat wishfully, "Judai thrives off of desperation."

Judai slowly climbed up to his feet, while taking a deep breath to control his breathing. Saiou chuckled lightly as he watched. "What's so funny!?" Judai hastily demanded.

"I'm just remembering all the delays you have given me in my quest of bathing the universe in the Light, and soon, you will be working willfully to further that goal," Saiou spoke through his mirth. "How ironic that the hero will soon become the villain."

"I'm never gonna work for you!" Judai fired back.

"Don't you get it!?" Saiou shouted. "You don't have a choice in the matter! Destiny has chosen this fate, and you shall walk this fate, whether you are for or against it! Once I defeat you, all you will worry about is fulfilling the Light's deepest desires!" The seer began cackling again, before rearing his head back and chortling and cold, maniacal laughter that sent a chill up the spines of all who heard it.

**AJ**: A water-main break a day, keeps the school away.

**Bil**: Lucky bastard.

**AJ**: What can I say?

**Bil**: Why you didn't have this up by the end of the weekend.

**AJ**: I was lazy, you know that master.

**Bil**: Pathetic fool.

**AJ**: Indeed. By the way, Bubble Rod isn't a new Spell I made up. Judai uses it in Season 3 against Professor Cobra (Thelonius Viper of Dub-fame). See you in the next chapter, and hoped you liked this one.


	50. Blinding Light

**AJ**: -yawns- Tired, but I must press onward!

**Bil**: 'The Internet is for Porn! The Internet is for Porn! All these guys unzip their flies..."

**AJ**: You've been singing that song for 13 ½ hours straight; give it a rest, already!

**Bil**: 'Sticks and Stones Jade-monster.'

**AJ**: Good God, you're annoying. Normal people would've given up that song by now.

**Bil**: 'Oh?'

**AJ**: What?

**Bil**: 'You have no idea! Ready Normal People?'

Normal Person (NP) I (Manjoume): Ready! 

**NP II (Fubuki)**: Ready!

**NP III (Sho)**: Ready!

**Bil**: Lemme hear it!

**Bil and NPs**: 'The Internet is for Porn! The Internet is for Porn…!'

**AJ**: Somebody, please, kill me now…

Chapter 49: Blinding Light! Judai's Fight For Survival 

Judai looked at his hand again. "I'll activate O-Over Soul! This card allows me to Special Summon a Normal Elemental Hero from my graveyard to the field. I'll special summon Sparkman in attack mode!" The electricity-based hero once again appeared on the field.

Saiou chuckled lightly. "Still won't give up, will you?"

"Can it!" Judai shot back. "I'll do whatever it takes to take you down! Sparkman, attack Knight of Sword!" The Lightening-based hero took a bolt of lightening from the sky and formed it into a spear within his hand. He then sent the bolt directly at Saiou's creature.

"So predictable," Saiou commented haughtily, "Trap Open, High Priestess's Chant!" The card began rotating around and around as so many of Saiou's card's did.

"Now what?" Judai grumbled.

"When this card is activated, you draw a card," Saiou told the youth as Judai did so. "Next, its position determines its effect. If it lands Reversed, then you are allowed to summon or activate the effect of one card in your graveyard. If it's Upright, which by Fate's foretelling it will be, then I can summon or activate the effect of a card in my Graveyard."

Once again, the card landed Upright, causing Judai to grimace. "Well, what do you know? I think I'll activate my Sword of Diamond trap card. And by sacrificing the monster you're attacking, I can destroy your attack hero, namely Sparkman!" Once again a white light absorbed Saiou's creature, and hundreds of diamonds appeared in front of Sparkman. The diamonds riddled the hero's body and destroyed the hero in a large explosion.

Judai howled in pain once again as the red electricity poured out from the duelist's shackles through his limbs. Judai dropped to his knees as his body quivered uncontrollably in agony. His breathing became more intense as he felt his body go slightly numb.

Judai slowly climbed up to his feet, while taking a deep breath to control his breathing. Saiou chuckled lightly as he watched. "What's so funny!?" Judai hastily demanded.

"I'm just remembering all the delays you have given me in my quest of bathing the universe in the Light, and soon, you will be working willfully to further that goal," Saiou spoke through his mirth. "How ironic that the hero will soon become the villain."

"I'm never gonna work for you!" Judai fired back.

"Don't you get it!?" Saiou shouted. "You don't have a choice in the matter! Destiny has chosen this fate, and you shall walk this fate, whether you are for or against it! Once I defeat you, all you will worry about is fulfilling the Light's deepest desires!" The seer began cackling again, before rearing his head back and chortling and cold, maniacal laughter that sent a chill up the spines of all who heard it.

"Do you have anything else," Saiou inquired haughtily, "or do you end your turn?"

Judai looked at his hand and saw nothing useful for him at the moment. "I'll have to end it," he grimly stated.

"Then, allow me to continue the torture!" Saiou grinned. "First, at your End Phase, Knight of Sword comes back! Then it is my turn again, so I Draw! Finally, remember my last turn? I know it was so long ago, but the card I discarded to summon The Hierophant was Arcana Force IX, The Hermit! So at my Standby Phase, because I have an Arcana Force monster on my field, it returns, and I am allowed to draw one more card!" He looked at his two new cards and grinned maliciously.

"Judai, just when I thought your pain couldn't get any worse, it does!" Saiou quietly, yet frighteningly, stated.

"Enough with the mind games!" Judai called angrily. "Cut with the suspense crap and play your card, already!"

"Fine then," Saiou retorted, "just remember, you brought this upon yourself!" Judai grimaced at what Saiou was getting at. "I activate the Field Spell, Light of Ruin!" Saiou gleefully declared as he placed the card in the Field Spell part of the duel disk.

Immediately a giant explosion occurred above Saiou's head. It was as if you were trying to stare into the sun. Appearing from the explosion on the field came a white light. Judai raised his arms instinctively to cover his eyes from the extremely brightness. He grunted as he tried to adjust his eyes to see what was happening on the field, but to no avail. He then suddenly felt a chill rise up his spine, similar to the one he felt when the duel had started. 'That's…not good…'

"What…what's happening!?" Sho called over the din from the fiery eruption.

"I don't know!" Kenzan replied. "I can't see with all that light!"

"What did Saiou play!" Fubuki asked to no one in particular.

"It seems…vaguely familiar…" Misawa answered.

"Wh-wh-what's this chill I'm feeling?" Momoe wondered aloud as her voice shook from either terror or coldness.

"I-I've g-got it t-too," Junko stated as she rubbed her arms with her hands.

"How can a light feel so cold?" Manjoume inquired. "Especially one as bright as that!"

"This feeling…it's the last thing I remember before going into the Society!" Areka exclaimed.

Asuka's eyes widened. 'She's right! While I was trapped in my mind with Saiou, that was all I felt, a cold that reached the bone! It made it impossible to move! But if it's this bad up here, then Judai…' She pried her eyes open and peered down to the first thing she saw that wasn't changed white by the bright light.

Judai stood defiantly at the Light, using his duel disk arm to shade his eyes. It was obvious, however, that he had become somewhat uneasy. Closer inspection revealed that he wasn't shaking from the frost that had suddenly entered the room, but what he appeared to be nervous of was what he was staring at. Her eyes followed his gaze until they fell upon Saiou. Or rather, he should've been called the duelist formerly known as Saiou.

The facial features of the man had dramatically changed. What they had assumed as psychotic before was nothing compared to the look that burned into Judai's soul. Asuka suddenly didn't seem to notice the light anymore, as her expression dropped, as she muttered an exasperated, "Oh my God…"

"What is it, Asuka!?" Fubuki demanded.

"Saiou!" Asuka pointed. "At least, I think its Saiou!" The group all looked at the man, before giving gasps of shock, fear, and amazement. The Light had subsided mostly, though it was noticeably brighter in the room now thanks to the white star that hovered above Saiou's side of the field. It seemed the light ended at Saiou's half of the field, as it was obviously darker where Judai stood.

The only word that could describe Saiou's features now was ghastly. Gone was the slight tinge of life in his cheeks, which now only displayed pure white flesh. The pupils were nearly absent, except for the small onyx dots within the man's evil yellow eyes. In fact, the diviner's yellow eyes seemed to be the only thing that was completely white about him. The man's eyes and mouth twisted into expressions not normal to man nor beast. The entire stadium could feel the malice and evil the emanated from the man's visage, but none more so than Judai, who felt the weight of the man's evil force bear down on him like a cloud of smoke, taking his breath from his chest. Judai once again found it difficult to breath.

"With this spell," Saiou spoke with a voice several octaves deeper than what it was previously, as well as devilish, "all my non-Light Attribute monsters have their attributes changed to Light. Then, all Light monsters on my side of the field gain 500 attack points each!"

"Great," Judai said as he gasped for air. "As if you didn't look psychotic enough at the start of the duel."

"A nuisance to the end, eh? That's fine with me! Hierophant, attack Judai's Life Points directly!" The creature's appendage again tore out from the ground. The monster reared back before launching it directly at the Red Duelist.

"Trap Card Open, Negate Attack!" Judai declared as he clicked a button on his duel disk. An invisible force field spread out in front of Judai, only revealing it's presence when the appendage bounced off of it, showing ripples spreading throughout the shield from the point of impact. "With this card, I can negate the attack of one of your monsters, and then end the Battle Phase," Judai smugly explained.

Saiou just smirked psychotically back at the duelist. "You think I didn't know that was coming, don't you?" Saiou questioned. "Please, I know this duel inside and out, backwards and forwards. It will be a swift, easy win for me. Nothing you do or say can change that."

"Quit your stalling," Judai growled. "Are you finished or not?"

"I suppose so," Saiou half-heartedly stated. "I'll set one card and pass it to you."

"Alright then, Draw! I activate E-Emergency Call! With this card, I can add one Elemental Hero to my hand, and I choose Elemental Hero Wildheart! Then, I summon him to the field in attack mode!" The native-looking hero appeared from a ball of light and landed on the ground in front of him.

"Interesting choice, Judai," Saiou exclaimed. "Too bad he's not strong enough to beat either of my monsters."

"Who said I was done? I activate the Equipment Spell, Cyclone Boomerang! When I equip this card to Elemental Hero Wildheart, his attack points increase by 500!" Judai exclaimed as the giant projectile appeared in Wildheart's grasp.

"So, you plan on destroying my Knight of Sword with your Wildheart, hmm?" Saiou exclaimed. "But how can you be sure that my facedown won't harm you, hmm?"

"Because of Wildheart's effect!" Judai exclaimed. "He's immune to the effects of all Trap Cards!"

Saiou's eyes narrowed, and his grin became even more unnatural. "But how can you be so sure that it's a Trap?" he sneered.

Judai's face grew annoyed. 'There goes his mind games, again,' the youth mused. 'But what if he's not bluffing…? If that facedown can destroy or do something to my attack… I could attack his Knight of Sword, but hat if that facedown sacrifices something like he has been, then what happens? Plus, I don't know what Hierophant's effect is…Man, I should've watched his duel with Edo.'

'Yes, Judai,' Saiou thought. 'Think about your move carefully. We wouldn't want you stepping ahead without thinking about it, now would we?' He chuckled madly to himself, and his eyes narrowed further.

Judai caught the change in Saiou's expression. "Alright, I'll attack The Hierophant with Wildheart!" The Elemental Hero reared back and launched its boomerang directly at the giant Spider-like creature.

"What's he doing!?" Manjoume hollered. "That thing's effect will increase its attack by half of Judai's monster's!"

Misawa observed, then something clicked in his mind. "The Hierophant! Judai has yet to see that card's effect in action! Remember, he wasn't here for Saiou's duel against Edo, and he denied all help from us!"

"You'd attack a monster, whose effect is unknown to you?" Saiou mused. "Fine with me!" Judai growled at Saiou's eagerness. "I activate my creature's effect! Whenever it battles my opponent's monster, its attack increases by half of your monster's current attack points!" One of The Hierophant's appendages ripped from the ground, and knocked the boomerang that had been heading for it back to its sender. The Hero was destroyed in an explosion. Judai roared in agony, as his LP drooped slightly.

"Judai, if you keep playing like this, then you'll fall to destiny!" Saiou chuckled, while Judai clutched his chest in pain. "Do I need to remind you what happens if you…lose…?" He stopped unexpectedly at the last, because Judai picked his head up, revealing a sly smirk and a slight chuckle.

"Go ahead and taunt all you want, but I won't back down," Judai flatly stated. "I have an effect, too, that you seem to not know about. See, when Cyclone Boomerang is sent to the Graveyard, it destroys every Trap and Spell card on the field, and deals 500 points of damage to you for every card destroyed! So say good bye to that Light of Ruin Spell!" A giant gust of wind began blowing all around the duel field.

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" Saiou called over the din. "Not today, though, Trap Open, Hierophant's Wand! This card makes it so for this turn, my cards cannot be destroyed by Card effects." Judai grumbled in disappointment. "Of course, as payment, you're allowed to draw one card, but I doubt it will help any."

Judai drew another card, and peered at it, before selecting it and another. "I'll set two cards, facedown. Turn End," he announced as he slid the cards into their respective card slots.

"My Turn, Draw! I activate Cup of Ace!" The Magic card appeared on the field and began to spin.

"This again…" Judai growled. "Don't any of your cards have effects that don't involve luck?"

"Fate, Judai," Saiou corrected matter-of-factly. "Go ahead and test the hands of fate."

"I'll test shoving my foot up your…" Judai muttered audibly. "Stop!" he commanded. The card, predictably, stopped in the Upright position.

Saiou sniggered as he drew two cards from his deck, due to Cup of Ace's effect. Saiou's psychotic eyes widened when he noticed one of the cards. "I'll sacrifice The Hierophant and Knight of Sword in order to summon Arcana Force XXI, The World!" The giant creature appeared on the field and towered over Judai. "And, because of Light of Ruin, it's attack increases by 500!" True enough, a white aura grew off of the alien-like creature, due to the growing Light from the Field Spell.

"If Judai has an ace, he better pull it out now!" Areka stated loudly.

"Indeed," Fubuki answered, "or he's gonna drop down to zero Life Points!"

'Hang in there…' Asuka silently pleaded.

"Now, Arcana Force XXI! Attack Judai directly!" Saiou ordered. The eye on the creature opened, and charged up a laser right in the middle of its socket. The laser then fired from the creature and aimed directly at Judai's midsection.

"Sorry, Saiou, but I'm sticking around! Trap Open, Call of the Haunted!" Judai declared. "With this card, I can special summon one monster from my Graveyard in attack mode! I'll Special Summon Sparkman." The yellow-and-blue armored hero appeared on the field once again.

"So you just save some of your Life Points by summoning a weak monster!?" Saiou cackled. "Fine! Arcana Force XXI's attack still goes through, it'll just spear you foolish creature!" The red laser headed for the chest of the hero that was no match for the alien. The laser suddenly stopped in front of the hero, causing an explosion. Saiou sneered for a moment, before noticing something was missing. There were no screams of pain or anguish.

The smoke on Judai's side of the field cleared, revealing Sparkman still on the field surrounded by a protective ball of energy. "What is that!?" Saiou exclaimed unexpectedly for the first time in the duel.

Judai's light laughter could be heard in the background as the smoke on Judai's field cleared. When his field was in full view, a Trap Card was face-up, Hero Barrier. "Hero Barrier, it allows me to negate one attack as long as an Elemental Hero is present on my field. As you can see, Sparkman qualifies."

"Fine, I'll set one card and end," Saiou declared.

"Draw!" Judai looked at his new card and activated it. "I activate Double Fusion! By sacrificing 500 Life Points, this card allows me to use the effect of Polymerization twice, as long as I have the Fusion-Material monsters in my hand or on the field." He flipped around his hand showing Avian and Burstinatrix, the two heroes jumped into a blue vortex, emerging from it, the green and red hero. "So first, I'll fuse these two for my Flame Wingman! But that's not all, by fusing Flame Wingman and Sparkman on my field, I can summon Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!" The armored hero descended in front of Judai, shielding him from the freezing Field spell, and reflecting the Light back at Saiou.

"And now Wingman's effect activates! For each Elemental Hero in my graveyard, he gains 300 Attack Points! And if my count is on target, there's a total of seven, making his attack points increase to 4600!" The hero's armor began shining brighter, even beginning to battle with the Evil aura emanating from Saiou's Spell card.

"Is it me, or did the temperature increase when Flare Wingman's attack points increased?" Momoe wondered aloud.

"I feel it too," Junko replied, "it's like a warm fire. It's warming up my insides."

"Odd, too," Misawa stated, "up until now, I didn't seem to notice how chilled I was. I guess that just shows how manipulative Saiou is."

"You guys are missing the overall big picture!" Kenzan informed them.

"That's right, if Aniki's attack goes through, then he wins because of Flare Wingman's effect!" Sho cheered.

"Go, Flare Wingman! Shining Shot!" The hero seemed to huddle up within itself, pulling its limbs together, before quickly expanding his arms and legs violently, unleashing a brilliant flash upon the entire stadium. Everyone shielded their eyes, though they basked in the warmth of the hero's light. Saiou's howling voice could be heard though he could not be seen. "Sounds like that's it," Judai sighed.

The scream soon transformed into a cackle. "Not quiet, Judai," the mystic voice called through the light. Judai peered across the field, only to be looking at two eyes, or what seemed to be eyes. They glowed brightly with a white light, making Judai feel nervous again.

The light from Flare Wingman's attack died down revealing The World to still being present. Saiou's LP had dropped to be equal to Judai's at 3000, however. "How did your monster survive that attack!?" Judai demanded.

"Simple, I activated my Trap, Tower's Defense," Saiou explained. "By discarding one Arcana Force monster from my hand, all Arcana Force monsters on the field cannot be destroyed by effects or battle for the duration of the turn. So while my Life Points may have been hit, I still don't get hit with your monster's effect."

"This is bad," Fubuki muttered.

"Yeah, it is," Manjoume nodded. "Judai threw all the cards in his hand for that one attack, and doesn't have any way to defend himself."

"And knowing Saiou," Misawa continued, "he'll probably draw the cards he needs to take Flare Wingman down this next turn."

"But they're tied in Life Points!" Sho insisted.

"Yeah, why are you guys making it sound so bad for Aniki?" Kenzan inquired.

"Just look at their bodies, Dino-boy," Areka answered. "They may be equal in Life Points, but that doesn't mean they have taken the same amount of damage. Judai's been hit six times already by that lightening after-effect, where as Saiou has just tasted it for the first time this duel. There is plenty more strain on Judai's body right now than there is Saiou's."

As if to promote that fact, Judai stared across the field, grimacing at his bad string of recent luck, not too mention the pain in his body, specifically his chest. His breathing was slightly heavier than Saiou's, who just sneered at Judai with his expression. "I don't have anything left in my hand," he muttered.

"Then I'll take that as ending your turn," Saiou replied. "My Turn, Draw! And because the card I discarded was The Hermit, and because I have an Arcana Force monster on the field, I am allowed to bring him back and draw another card!" he looked at his new cards. "Next, I activate the Spell, Sword of Emperor! By discarding one card from my hand, the effects of all monsters on your side of the field are negated for this turn. So, I'll get rid of The Hermit for the time being, and then, your Wingman's attack decreases!"

The hero did lose the sheen on his armor, and soon became overpowered by the giant ball of light on Saiou's field. The warmth the hero had been emitting immediately disappeared, as the monster's attack decreased back to its original status. "There's only enough room for one type of light on this planet, and it is the Light of Ruin!" Saiou declared. "Arcana Force XXI, destroy that mortal!" The alien didn't need to be told twice. It fired a laser from the eye it had, and had it travel across Judai's field. The hero never stood a chance, as the laser cut the Wingman like a hot knife through butter, causing it to explode.

Judai again screamed out in pain, causing all those in the audience to either look at him with pity, or look away entirely. Judai dropped to one knee and began gasping for air as the pain subsided. His friends all called out to him, but his hearing seemed to have been dulled, as he could hardly hear them. 'Great, no cards in my hand, no monsters out, and he's got a 3600 attack point juggernaut on his field! I need to get going, or he'll finish me off in the next turn!' the boy thought as he glared across the field. 'C'mon Miracle-boy you gotta do something! If you ever needed to be a hero, now's the time!"

"I think I'll let you live for now," Saiou smirked.

"Judai," Asuka whispered, "come on…"

"He's got nothing left, it'll all revolve around this draw whether he'll survive it'll be the beginning of the end," Fubuki muttered somberly.

Judai slowly climbed to his feet and raised his arm to his deck. "Here I Go, Draw!" he declared as he tore a card from his deck.

**Bil w/ GX cast**: 'The Internet is for Porn. The Internet is for Porn.'

**AJ**: THREE DAYS IS LONG ENOUGH!!!!! THAT'S IT, EVERYONE QUIET!!!

**Bil**: Oh, Jade-monster, don't be such a loser. –cast mutters in agreement-

**AJ**: Manjoume, Fubuki, and Sho I can see, but how'd you get Asuka, Rei and Kaiser into the act!?!?!

**Bil**: Let's just say I know some people who know some people. –looks back to group- A-one, A-two, A-three…'The Internet is for Porn. The Internet is for Porn…'

**AJ**: SHHHHUUUUTTTT UUUUUUUUPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	51. Counter Assault

**AJ**: -yawns-…

**Bil**: Hey-yo Loser. How's my favorite stupid apprentice?

**AJ**: Must you always criticize?

**Bil**: Yes.

**AJ**: Coot. –smacked across face with hilt of sword- OWWW!!

**Bil**: I've taught you better than that. Remember what I always said?

**AJ**: Uhh…if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all? –beat across the head again-

**Bil**: NO! Don't insult your Master. And if you must insult your Master, at least grace his time by making it worthwhile!

**AJ**: I thought your saying was "It's all fun and games till someone gets hurt….then it's freaking hilarious". –Smacked across the face again- NOW WHAT!?

**Bil**: You didn't quote me exactly! I actually dropped the F-bomb in that one!

**AJ**: I don't like swearing. –Smacked across the face again- **WHAT WAS THAT FOR**!?!?!?!

**Bil**: Free.

**Chapter 50: Counter-Assault: Triple Contact Fusion!**

"Then I'll take that as ending your turn," Saiou replied. "My Turn, Draw! And because the card I discarded was The Hermit, and because I have an Arcana Force monster on the field, I am allowed to bring him back and draw another card!" he looked at his new cards. "Next, I activate the Spell, Sword of Emperor! By discarding one card from my hand, the effects of all monsters on your side of the field are negated for this turn. So, I'll get rid of The Hermit for the time being, and then, your Wingman's attack decreases!"

The hero did lose the sheen on his armor, and soon became overpowered by the giant ball of light on Saiou's field. The warmth the hero had been emitting immediately disappeared, as the monster's attack decreased back to its original status. "There's only enough room for one type of light on this planet, and it is the Light of Ruin!" Saiou declared. "Arcana Force XXI, destroy that mortal!" The alien didn't need to be told twice. It fired a laser from the eye it had, and had it travel across Judai's field. The hero never stood a chance, as the laser cut the Wingman like a hot knife through butter, causing it to explode.

Judai again screamed out in pain, causing all those in the audience to either look at him with pity, or look away entirely. Judai dropped to one knee and began gasping for air as the pain subsided. His friends all called out to him, but his hearing seemed to have been dulled, as he could hardly hear them. 'Great, no cards in my hand, no monsters out, and he's got a 3600 attack point juggernaut on his field! I need to get going, or he'll finish me off in the next turn!' the boy thought as he glared across the field. 'C'mon Miracle-boy you gotta do something! If you ever needed to be a hero, now's the time!"

"I think I'll let you live for now," Saiou smirked.

"Judai," Asuka whispered, "come on…"

"He's got nothing left, it'll all revolve around this draw whether he'll survive. It'll be the beginning of the end if he doesn't draw something here," Fubuki muttered somberly.

Judai slowly climbed to his feet and raised his arm to his deck. "Here I Go, Draw!" he declared as he tore a card from his deck.

**(Saiou's Life Points 3000, Judai's Life Points 1900)**

Judai looked at his card before revealing it. "I activate The Warrior Returning Alive! With this spell, I can return one Warrior-Type monster from my deck to my hand. I'll select Elemental Hero Bubbleman! Now, because Bubbleman's the only hero in my hand, I can Special Summon him to the field in defense mode! And because he's the only card on my field, I'm allowed to draw a pair!" Judai peered at the two cards. "I'll set two cards, and that's it," he stated as he slid both cards into their appropriate slots.

"How quaint," Saiou cackled, making Judai's brow furrow, "You plan on protecting yourself with that? Fine then, Draw! And I'm sure you've seen it enough by now to know what happens when The Hermit is in the Graveyard," Saiou guessed.

"Yeah, I know," Judai grimaced, "You get him back and you can draw again."

Saiou did so and grinned at his new additions. "First, I'll summon Arcana Force I, The Magician! Plus, it gains 500 attack points because of Light of Ruin!" The monster appeared on the field, and spun around until Judai commanded it to stop. Saiou's eyes gleamed gleefully as it stopped Upright. "Now, it's original attack points double when a Magic Card is used. And what do you know? I'm going to use two right now!"

"First, I'll activate the Spell, Sword of Clubs! By discarding a card from my hand, I can destroy one Spell or Trap on the field. So, I think I'll send my Hermit to the grave again, and in turn destroy your left facedown!" Several hundred black daggers appeared on the field, all pointing towards Judai's card. The daggers rushed forward and skewered the card, which flipped up and shattered.

"Thanks for that," Judai smirked.

"What?"

"The card you destroyed was Dummy Marker. When it is destroyed, I'm allowed to draw a card. But, since it was destroyed by a Spell, I get to draw two cards," the Osiris duelist explained as he drew his pair.

"Fine then, but my Mage still has his attack points doubled," Saiou flared. "Now, I activate the spell known as Arcanatic Deathscythe!" Saiou declared. "By sending an Arcana Force monster to the graveyard from my deck, you take damage equal to the attack of any of your destroyed monsters!"

"But that means…!" Sho gasped.

"Judai's still in trouble," Manjoume finished, "and it's not just those shackles, this time."

"Go and destroy his Bubbleman!" The odd creature hurled a beam of energy in the direction of Bubbleman. An explosion occurred leaving no trace of the Hero. Judai roared in anguish as more of his Life Points diminished.

"Now, Arcana Force XXI, attack him directly and end this!" Saiou roared. The humongous alien loomed over the broken duelist across the way and charged up a powerful blast in front of itself. The creature fired the giant laser at the hero, who reached for his duel disk.

"Trap…Open!" he declared as the blast exploded inches in front of him.

Saiou, knowing that the card must've saved the boy, waited for the dust to clear before declaring the end of his turn. Standing in front of Judai was a transparent version of the hero he had just destroyed. "Hero Spirits," Saiou muttered, before licking his lips. "Judai, you truly are the most antagonistic duelist I have ever met. Most would've either surrendered from such a beating and submitted willingly to the Light by now."

"I'll take that as a complement," Judai smirked, though wearily. It was clear that the duel was taking its toll on the young duelist. The boy began coughing sharply, covering his mouth instantly. He felt a warm sticky fluid on his palm, and didn't need to look before knowing it was blood. 'God, I hope that's not my lungs…'

Saiou's eyes narrowed, before he noticed what it was. The man grinned devilishly. "Turn end."

"My turn, Draw! I'll activate Graceful Charity!" He drew three cards before discarding Hero Kid and Heroic Sacrifice. "Next, I activate the spell, The Shallow Grave! We are now both able to special summon a monster from our Graveyards in defense mode. I'll summon Hero Kid!" The junior hero appeared in a flash of light.

"Now I activate his special effect! When a Hero Kid is special summoned, I can bring out two more from my deck!" Two more Hero Kids appeared on the field and bent down on the field in defense position.

"Fine, I'll bring out Arcana Force IV, The Emperor!" Saiou called. The card of the monster appeared on the field and began rotating above the monster. Once again Judai declared it to stop, and once again, it halted in the Upright position. Now, the attack of all monsters on my side of the field with Arcana Force in their name increases by 500!"

"I'll set one," Judai sadly stated. "That's all for me,"

"My turn, Draw! Return Hermit!" Saiou took the card from his Graveyard and drew another from his deck. 'I could probably win the duel this turn, with The World's effect, but that facedown worries me.' Saiou mused. 'I'll let him live for this turn, and punish him for defying me some more.' Saiou licked his lips greedily. "Now, I'll switch The Emperor to attack mode, and have all three of my monsters will attack your Hero Kids!" All three creatures fired their attacks at the only shields Judai had on his field and all three energy bolts struck true, decimating Judai's field.

His friends all watched, and in turn winced, as the electricity flowed rapidly from the shackles. Judai howled in pain from the destruction of his monsters. Judai dropped to his knees and clutched his chest in agony, causing many of those in the audience to claim that the duel had gone too far. There was a dead silence in the entire arena except for the painful breaths coming from Judai.

"Aniki…" Sho whispered mournfully.

"How can he take so much pain?" Areka muttered in a shocked voice. "He's quivering from all the electricity that has flowed into him."

"This is bad," Kenzan grunted, "very bad."

Fubuki's eyes narrowed. "I just wish there was something we can do," he whispered. "He's all alone out there."

Asuka looked on worriedly at the boy, before Fubuki's words registered in her mind. 'All…alone…?' she mouthed.

"No, he's not," a soft voice mentioned behind her. Asuka and Manjoume whipped around and saw Cyber Tutu standing behind her.

"Wh-wh-wh-who're you!?!?!" Manjoume gasped.

"She's my Duel Spirit," Asuka told him quietly, so as to not grab the attention of the others. "One of them, anyway. All my Cyber Girls are my Duel Spirits."

Manjoume looked back and forth between Asuka and Cyber Tutu, who smiled sweetly at the boy. For some reason, however, the card's sweet smile made him sweat with worry. "I'll have to ask later…"

"Asuka-kun," the girl began, "he's only alone if you guys allow it to be that way."

Asuka looked at the girl inquisitively, but then her eyes widened. "That's it!" she shouted, startling the group around her.

"What's it?" Momoe inquired.

"Yeah, what's going on, Asuka-san?" Junko asked.

Asuka stood up and cupped her hands to her mouth. "Judai! C'mon, we all believe in you! You've got to stand up!"

They all looked at her. "Asuka, what are you doing?" Sho questioned.

"It's just as my brother said," Asuka told them, "Judai is all alone out there. The only way to help him out is to cheer. I wish there was something else, but it's all we can do. But if that's all I can do, then I will do my best to make sure I can help out whatever little I can!"

Sho and Kenzan looked at her oddly, before looking at each other and nodding. "Let's go, Aniki!" Sho called.

"Yeah, Aniki! You have to get up!" Kenzan added. "You can't beat that Light of Ruin while on your knees!"

"We believe in you, Judai!" Momoe cheered.

"You can still fight!" Junko continued.

"You aren't out of it yet!" Misawa stated loudly. "You just have to go until you've drawn your last!"

"Drop-out!" Manjoume shouted, "If you lose to that fool, then I'll never forgive you! You better get off the ground now!"

"Judai you have to win!" Fubuki bellowed. "My sis won't be able to live with herself otherwise!" Asuka smacked Fubuki in the back of the head, before he muttered inaudibly, "Well, it's true…"

"You can do it!" Areka cried. "You may be an arrogant nuisance, but that's why you always battle till the end!"

Soon the whole arena began resounding with clamoring. Most were incoherent because he was focused on fighting to gain his footing, but Judai could tell from the way Saiou growled as he looked back and forth, that at least most were aimed positively at him. 'Well…' he grunted to himself, 'can't disappoint my adoring public, now can I?' Slowly, woozily, carefully, he used his strength to lift himself off the ground. He almost stumbled as he reached his feet, but regained his footing immediately. He gave a thumbs up in the direction of his friends.

Saiou growled in irritation. "You just won't stop…"

"I have a habit of doing that," Judai smugly grinned. "Besides, this is getting way too interesting for me to quit, just yet. I plan on sticking around for the duration."

"If that's how you want it…" Saiou looked at his hand and selected a card. "I'll set one card and end."

"Good, Draw!" he looked at his hand and smirked. "I'll first activate the Spell, Combat Contact! I can only activate this card when I don't have any cards on my field. When I do, I discard a Neo-Spacian from my hand and another from my deck. So, I'll toss Aqua Dolphin from my hand and Flare Scarab in my deck. Now, I get to draw cards equal to the number of monsters you control plus one!" He took four cards from his deck.

"Don't forget, when you activate a Spell card, my Magician's attack points increase." The creature's attack increased to 3200.

"How's Judai supposed to beat three monsters with at least 2400 attack points!?" Manjoume growled.

"We just have to have faith," Asuka responded quietly.

"Go ahead and increase your monster's attack! I'll now activate Miracle Fusion! By removing Fusion-Material Elemental Heroes on my field and in my graveyard from play, I can Fusion Summon an E-Hero! So, I'll remove Elemental Heroes Bubbleman, Burstinatrix, Clayman, and Avian in order to create, Elemental Hero Electrum!"

The four heroes appeared on the field above Judai's head before being surrounded by a golden light, and disappearing. The golden light glowed brighter, and caused Saiou to shield his eyes. "What is that!? What kind of Light is allowed to blind me!?" he screeched. His feeling wasn't shared, as the crowd gasped and chattered dreamily at the fantastic light show.

The light flashed brightly and descending from it came Elemental Hero Electrum. Judai grinned, saying, "Elemental Hero Electrum has an effect. All cards removed from play are now sent back into the owner's decks and then shuffled." He did this with his four heroes after stating the hero's effect. "Now, Electrum! Attack his Emperor!" Judai declared as he pointed at Saiou's monster. The Hero leapt up in the air and glowed with a bright golden light, forcing Saiou to shield his eyes again. The image of the monster shattered and Saiou roared in pain as his Life Points dropped by 500.

"Now, I'll activate Damage-Off Zone! Now all damage you give to me is reduced by half!" Judai stated as he slid the card into its slot, while pressing the button on his disk. "I'll pass it off to you, now."

"It's about time! Draw!" He looked at his card. "I'll now activate the spell, Reverse Reborn! With this, I can special summon one Arcana Force monster from my graveyard and place it in the Reversed position! I'll special summon The Emperor to the field!"

"Due to his effect, all my monster's attack points are lowered by 500, but they're still more than enough to defeat you, especially since my Mage's attack increases by!" Saiou howled happily. "So first, The World will attack your hero!" The World's attack burst through Electrum's stomach, causing the hero's image to disperse. Judai roared in agony, though his Life Points only decreased by one hundred.

"Next, my Mage shall attack you directly!" The creature launched a ball of energy at Judai, who reached for his duel disk and pressed a button.

"Magic Card, Open! Flute of Summoning Kuriboh!" Judai declared. A small furry creature appeared on the field in front of Judai, who winced as the blast destroyed the little creature, causing him more damage due to voltage.

The creature immediately pooped up next to Judai's head, and quipped in its squeaky voice to check on him. "D-don't worry…Aibou," Judai weakly assured it. "I'm still in this…Thanks for saving me pal." The Duel Spirit cooed in response before disappearing back into its deck.

"He may have saved you now, but you won't be so lucky this time!" Saiou declared, annoyed at the prolonging of the duel. "I activate The World's effect! By sacrificing two of my monsters, I can skip your turn and immediately go to my next one!" A light glimmered around the two creatures, as they disappeared from sight. "Now, Arcana Force XXI, attack Judai directly!" Asuka shielded her eyes as the laser fired and struck Judai right in the midsection. He groaned in grief as he was shocked once again. However, the duelist didn't fall to the ground, nor did his Life Points lower to zero. Saiou frowned.

"Surprised?" Judai weakly chuckled, as he coughed into his hand again.

"More so to the fact that I forgot Damage-Off Zone's second effect than anything else," Saiou stated.

"Apparently," Judai grinned. "When I decrease my Life Points in half, I can send Damage-Off Zone to the Grave and reduce the Battle Damage of one of your attacks to zero."

Saiou growled in anger. "I'll end."

"Then I'll go, Draw!" He looked at his new card. "I activate Pot of Greed! So I draw two more!" He looked at his two new cards and smiled. "Well, Saiou, I should congratulate you. I have never had to do this before."

"What's Aniki gonna do?" Sho wondered aloud.

"If I knew, I'd tell you," Areka answered.

"Whatever it is," Fubuki stated, "I've got a feeling it's gonna be something rather impressive."

Saiou's sadistic eyes narrowed slightly. "You've never had to do what before?"

"You'll see," Judai told him. "First, I activate the Spell, Ancient Rule! With this card, I can Special Summon one Level Five or higher Normal monster from my hand! Guess what? I have Neos right here! And since he fits the qualifications, I'll summon him!" He placed the card onto his duel disk and the hero spun in the air before gracefully landing on the ground.

"Next I play Contact Soul! While my Neos is out, I can special summon one Neo-Spacian from my deck, hand, or Graveyard to the field! I think that Flare Scarab in my Graveyard is a pretty good selection."

"But that's not all, now I'll summon from my hand Neo-Spacian Glow Moss!" Judai announced. "Now, get ready, cause I'm gonna summon a new monster!"

'But we've already seen both Glow Neos and Flare Neos. What else could he possibly summon…?' Saiou thought. His eyes widened even more so than they were. "Unless…"

"Go Neos, Glow Moss, and Flare Scarab!" Judai ordered pointing his index finger into the air. "Triple Contact Fusion!"

"Triple Contact Fusion!?" Saiou exclaimed.

The three beings leapt into the air and collided in the ceiling that had suddenly changed to look like Outer Space. A bright light flashed overhead and caused everyone to cover his or her eyes except for Judai.

Descending from the din came a new being who began to glow like a star. The hero was plated in shining silver armor with long flowing red hair. The creature had golden armor on its head, covering everything but its mouth, on its forearms, which protruded out past his elbows, and chest. He bore black tights from his waist to his shins, below which were covered by golden boots. The alien stepped on the ground, gaining gasps of delight from the crowd as he did so.

"Let me be the first to introduce you to Nova Neos (3000/2500)!" Judai smirked. "And he has a special effect. Once per turn, he is allowed to destroy one card on the field. So say good bye to your monster!" Judai held up a clenched fist. "Go, Nova Neos! Solar Flare!" The hero's armored forearms began glowing, as he charged up for his assault.

"Permanent Trap Open, Magician's Curse!" Saiou declared. "I am allowed to redirect the target of an effect against an Arcana Force monster to another target, other than this card. This comes with a price, however, as each and every time I do so, you draw a card."

Judai drew a card and looked at it before smirking back at Saiou. "It doesn't really matter to me, because the only other card on your field is that Light of Ruin!" The hero sliced the air with his arms, casting two golden razor-like beams to fly across the field and slice into the star sitting over Saiou's field. The star erupted into a blaze of glory and went off like a fireworks display. Saiou watched in horror the white star dissipated.

The temperature in the room immediately increased, and became more comfortable. "JUDAI!!!!" Saiou howled in rage, "YOU WILL PAY DEARLY FOR SUCH A TREACHERY!!!!"

"I'm not done yet," Judai smirked, "because now, whichever type card my Hero destroys, I get to take one card from my deck of the same type and add it to my hand. For example, since your card I destroyed was a Field Spell, I get to add a Field spell to my hand. So, I'll add my Neo Space to my hand and activate it!" Judai held up his duel disk in front of him so the Field Spell slot could open. He placed the Field Spell into place. Instantaneously, from Judai's side of the field, a large multi-colored atmosphere appeared around the hero and Saiou, sealing them from the crowd.

"So now, my hero gains 500 attack points from my Field Spell," Judai grinned. "Oh, and there was one more thing I forgot to mention, my Hero gains an extra four hundred attack points for every card on the field!" Neos began to glow with a golden fiery aura, as his attack points increased to 5100.

"WHAT!?" Saiou screamed shocked. "5100 ATTACK POINTS!?"

"Wow!" Areka cheered. "What a hero!"

"Aniki just came out of nowhere created an ultra-powerful monster!" Kenzan called.

"Go get him, Aniki!" Sho hooted.

"GO, NOVE NEOS!" Judai directed as he jabbed his index finger at Saiou's monster. "SUPER NOVA!" The hero drew its arms and legs close to its body before launching them out with his palms open and his legs outstretched. A bright reddish-gold light erupted from the hero and began to consume the field. Saiou looked on in psychotic rage and fear as his precious Arcana Force monster was incinerated into a giant heap of charred nothingness before disappearing from the field.

Saiou roared in pain as his shackles sent a large amount of electricity through the man's body, taking with it 2000 of Saiou's Life Points. The man slumped to his knees and panted heavily from the pain, his head lowered to the ground. Judai frowned slightly. "Hey, Saiou?" Judai called. "Are you ok?"

Something could be heard from the inside of the man. It had a croaking sound to it, before it became discernible. It was laughter, a cold, hard, evil laughter. Judai felt his insides freeze as he saw the man slowly climb to his feet, his head still lowered to the ground. "Incredible, Judai," the man stated painfully, "absolutely incredible."

"Uhh…thanks?" Judai instinctively stated.

"Sorry, I just never thought anyone could push me as far as you have just done so," Saiou explained. "Excuse me if I'm a little overwhelmed. It almost pains me to tell you that with your last move," the man began as he lifted his eyes to a vicious, sadistic glare at the boy, "you just sealed your fate."

**AJ**: I'd normally talk about the story, but I'm gonna let it over to Sho and Judai for this one. I have to go to school now, anyways.

**Bil**: Wait! How'm I s'posed to insult you now!?!?! GET BACK HERE!

**Sho**: That was great Aniki! AHH! What is that thing!?!?

**Judai**: Arcana Force EX!? That thing is huge!

**Sho**: Not to mention ugly! Aniki, in order to win, you must defeat that!? Please hurry!

Next Time: **Episode 51: Cast Down The Bounds Of Fate! Seraph Neos Flies Into The Future**

**Judai**: This is it Saiou! The final turn!

**(Urgent: I realize I screwed up. I tried to change Sword of Clubs to a Quick-Play Spell, but the last time I used it I had it listed as a trap. Seemed simple, right? Well, Stupid Me accidentally put the chapter into number 45 instead of 46. Ironically, it is right after I cleaned out my comp, so I have to re-type it. I will do so after I finish this. Count on it.)**


	52. Cast Down The Bounds Of Fate

**AJ**: Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for: The end of the Saiou vs. Judai duel!

**Bil**: FINALLY! I can't believe I ever agreed to let you do this Fanfic thing

**AJ**: –sniff--

**Bil**: What's the matter with you?

**AJ**: But it also means our time together is closing…T.T…Sorry…I got something in my eye…

**Bil**: You fool.

**AJ**: You're right…I MUST PRESS ONWARD…FOR MY FANS! FYI: I changed my mind about the theme for this fanfic…errr…if it had one. I now select the second G Gundam Opening Theme, _I Trust You Forever_.

**Bil**: Get typing, Moron.

Chapter 51: Cast Down The Bounds Of Fate! Seraph Neos Flies Into The Future 

"GO, NOVA NEOS!" Judai directed as he jabbed his index finger at Saiou's monster. "SUPER NOVA!" The hero drew its arms and legs close to its body before launching them out with his palms open and his legs outstretched. A bright reddish-gold light erupted from the hero and began to consume the field. Saiou looked on in psychotic rage and fear as his precious Arcana Force monster was incinerated into a giant heap of charred nothingness before disappearing from the field.

Saiou roared in pain as his shackles sent a large amount of electricity through the man's body, taking with it 2000 of Saiou's Life Points. The man slumped to his knees and panted heavily from the pain, his head lowered to the ground. Judai frowned slightly. "Hey, Saiou?" Judai called. "Are you ok?"

Something could be heard from the inside of the man. It had a croaking sound to it, before it became discernible. It was laughter, a cold, hard, evil laughter. Judai felt his insides freeze as he saw the man slowly climb to his feet, his head still lowered to the ground. "Incredible, Judai," the man stated painfully, "absolutely incredible."

"Uhh…thanks?" Judai instinctively stated.

"Sorry, I just never thought anyone could push me as far as you have just done so," Saiou explained. "Excuse me if I'm a little overwhelmed. It almost pains me to tell you that with your last move," the man began as he lifted his eyes to a vicious, sadistic glare at the boy, "you just sealed your fate."

**(Saiou's Life Points 500, Judai's Life Points 500)**

"Sealed my fate?" Judai repeated. "By the looks of things, I'd say that you're the one in trouble." The look on Saiou's face, though Judai would never admit it, did make the lad uneasy.

"Oh, no, Judai," the elder man sneered, "you have yet to see my greatest monster. But you will see it shortly."

"We'll see about that!" Judai hollered across the way. 'I just wish I believed those words in my heart,' the boy mused. He looked at his one card on hand. "I'll end."

"Foolish mistake," Saiou grinned. A swirling white light surrounded Saiou and his side of the field. It soon became a violent tempest that forced Judai to shield himself from the cold gust that bit into his face.

The crowd also blocked their faces, which was harder for some more than others for some weren't wearing their jackets. "What the…?" Manjoume exclaimed as he held onto the back of Fubuki's seat.

"What's going on!?" Areka screamed.

"Something very bad!" Fubuki responded loudly, throwing his jacket over Asuka and her friends.

"Worse!" Misawa stated, as he, Sho, and Manjoume did the same. "I think we're going to see that monster that eliminated Edo shortly!"

"What!?" Kenzan called over the din.

The white light in the middle of the vortex glowed brighter before becoming shaded by something that anyone could immediately tell was enormous. Emerging from the gust was a giant of an alien, armored in black with red outlines, it looked anything but something that would serve the Light. Judai slowly peered through his arms and saw that Saiou was now emitting an extremely large white aura himself that seemed to surround and control the beast the stood behind him. The gusting tornado slowed to a stop, though the eerie chill remained.

"Holy…!" Junko screamed when first looking at the humongous creature.

"What…is that…?" was all that Momoe could wonder when she glanced at the monstrous being.

"You wanted to introduce your new heroes to me," Saiou explained, "it's only fair that I give you the same honor. Instead of just eliminating you, I will show it to you first. Introducing, Arcana Force EX, The Light Ruler!"

"But how'd you summon that thing!" Judai exclaimed loudly. "The last time you summoned him, you played like three cards!"

"Well, see, about that," Saiou smirked devilishly, "it was your own fault. At the End Phase of a turn that the Field Spell, Light of Ruin, is destroyed, I can special summon from my hand, deck, Graveyard, or Removed from Play pile one Light-Type monster, disregarding any summoning conditions it may have! I did so with Light Ruler, which was in my hand."

Judai growled in disgust. "Then, you wanted me to get rid of that thing…"

"Precisely," Saiou stated, "but in destroying my Field spell, you reinforced my belief that you are, indeed, the one that is going to be my greatest Lieutenant in my rebirth of the universe!" The card above the alien began spinning faster and faster. "Go ahead Judai, tell it to stop."

Judai glared at the card rotating fiercely around and around. 'I don't know what kind of effects that thing has, but I do know one thing, most of the negative effects are from the Reversed position. I need to get it to land there, but I haven't once yet.' Judai gulped as he looked at the monster with a concerned visage. 'Well, here goes nothing!' He closed his eyes and shouted, "STOP!"

The card slowly began to screech to a halt. It passed the Upright position, then Reversed, then Upright again. It then halted at the Upside-Down position. Judai stared amazed at the card's turn. He smirked and looked at Saiou who just grinned back at him. Judai frowned slightly that Saiou didn't look annoyed or upset that the card was in the Reversed position.

"Now, it's my turn!" Saiou declared as he tore a card from his deck. "Now, I activate another Field Spell, one you may remember from my duel with Asuka-san, The Field Spell, The Bounds of Light!" At the moment the card was inserted into its appropriate card slot, an enormous dome grew out from the duel disk and covered the field with a light filmy substance. Though it was transparent, it made seeing the duel much more difficult, causing many of the audience to squint. In fact, the only thing that was discernible was Saiou's giant Light Ruler.

"This is different from the time he activated it on me," Asuka deduced.

"Yeah, it's almost like it's more powerful than before," Areka stated, "I can barely see what's going on in there!"

"Aniki…" Sho muttered in concern.

The same was not the case for Judai, who was inside the dome. He couldn't see anything outside of it. "Asuka? Sho? Where are you guys!?" he called.

"Sorry for the change in scenery, but I thought that you were too good for those on the outside," Saiou explained harshly, "so I figured I'd defeat you alone."

"Gee, you shouldn't have," Judai arrogantly retorted.

"As you may recall," Saiou explained, "as long as this Field Spell is active, no monsters without Arcana Force in their name can activate their effects while they are on the field. However, I can select whether my Arcana Force monsters will be in the Upright or Reversed position." Saiou watched gleefully as Nova Neos was forced to float to the ground, and dropped to one knee. It looked like it was having trouble staying conscious, let alone staying on the field. The attack points of the creature reduced back to 3000.

"Nova Neos…?" Judai asked.

"Light Ruler! Attack Nova Neos!" Saiou commanded.

"I activate the trap in my Graveyard, Heroic Sacrifice! By discarding one Elemental Hero, I can gain Life Points equal to the attack points of the hero I discarded! I'll discard E-Hero Necroshade to the Grave and gain 1600 points!"

"You're going to need them! Light Ruler, attack with End of Earth!"

The entire crowd watched as two giant dragon-like heads unfolded from the back of Saiou's creature and spun towards Judai's monster. The two heads mouths opened as some type of white light began to glow from deep within the throats of the creatures. Judai and his friends looked on in horror as the two dragonheads emitted their white light directly at the hero. An enormous explosion occurred as the energy blasts struck true and incinerated the hero. Judai flew back into the edge of the barrier. He felt his body slam into the dome structure, before being consumed by darkness.

The entire group immediately sensed something was wrong when they heard a loud thump from inside the dome and saw a black mass slump to the ground. "JUDAI!" they all instantly called out, knowing that, whether he was unconscious or not, it wouldn't make a difference. A thick smoke settled inside the dome, making the already opaque dome even harder to see into. The black mass, however, was unmistakably Judai.

Asuka stood up and was about to run forward, when Fubuki grabbed her arm. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?" she cried, seeing Manjoume slump in despair slightly behind Fubuki. "JUDAI'S IN TROUBLE!!"

"Asuka, calm down," Fubuki soothingly stated, "you're just not going alone." The group hurried down the steps, Manjoume slightly slower than the others, and they all rushed up to the duel ring. The other students, all worried about the occupants within the dome, where also concerned and they circled the duel field as well. They couldn't step within five feet of the duel arena because of the shield put up by the Bounds Field Spell, however, even despite Kenzan's and Fubuki's shoulder charges. Manjoume even ran up to it, leapt into the air, and kicked it, causing him to pull a groin.

"What'll it take to bust that thing open!?" Manjoume gasped on the ground as he moaned and groaned.

The Ojama Trio appeared behind him and began shivering. "Don't go in there, Aniki!" the Yellow one pleaded.

"Why not?" he wondered aloud.

"There's something really bad going on in there!" The Green one responded.

"We should just walk away!" the Black one announced. "Getting involved in that is not something I'd like to do…"

"GET OUTTA HERE, THEN!!" Manjoume screamed as he swatted them away. He looked back at the dome. 'Judai, it seems Asuka has chosen you. If you don't get out of this safely, I'll skip the duel and just personally beat the hell out of you!' Unbeknownst to all of them, floating into the dome was a certain yellow energy ball. Pharaoh leapt forward at the dome, but just slammed headfirst into it, before slowly falling to the ground.

Judai found himself floating in a sea of blackness. In the distance, he heard a girl cry out. It was faint, and at first he didn't recognize the word she kept repeating. He tried to open his eyes, but couldn't. The faint voice became louder. At first he thought it was Asuka, but realized that it wasn't. It had a certain warmth about it, not that Asuka's voice didn't any have warmth, but this one was of a different kind of love.

He strained his ears and finally realized that the voice was calling out to him. "Judai-chan…Judai-chan…" the voice repeated.

'It…can't be…' Judai thought, 'Mi…Midori-oneesan!?!?'

The voice then went from a feminine chipper voice to a slightly gruff, arrogant, cold, hatred-filled voice. "Judai-dono, I am coming for you," the voice said.

'No…' Judai muttered in his mind. He felt a chill run up his spine.

He then heard other voices, though he couldn't determine whose they belonged to. They became louder, however, and soon were discernible. "Judai-kun…Judai-kun!" the first voice called.

'Who…?' Judai wondered aloud. 'It can't be…Daitokuji-sensei!?'

"Yes, Judai-kun," the old Red Dorm head stated, "Are you well?"

'…Do I look well!?' Judai grunted.

"Sorry, standard question."

'I…just don't have any strength left,' Judai told him.

"What!?" Daitokuji shouted. "No strength left!? Since when did Yuki Judai never finish a duel, strength or no strength!?"

'Who are you to judge me!?' Judai retorted.

"Judai," Daitokuji began softly, "listen, I know your body doesn't want to fight, but your soul and friends desire for you to continue. Do you want to let your friends down?"

'What?' Judai inquired. A small light grew out the darkness of his mind. He still couldn't open his eyes, but he sensed the presence of all his friends. They were all there, all cheering for him.

"Judai!" Fubuki's voice rang, "you've got to fight on!"

"C'mon Judai!" Momoe added. "You can do it!"

"All you have to do is stand up!" Junko chimed in.

"Fubuki…Momoe…Junko…?" Judai asked in awe.

"You can easily win this if you just stand up, you big jerk!" Areka stated.

"You are the number one duelist at this Academy," Misawa stated, "but you can't duel on your back!"

"Judai," Manjoume exclaimed, "if you don't come out safely, I will personally beta the hell out of you!"

"Misawa…Areka…Manjoume even?"

"C'mon, Aniki!" Kenzan called. "You can win this!"

"Yeah, Aniki!" Sho called. "You're not one to quit before it's all over!"

Judai felt himself relaxing and gaining strength. "Sho and Kenzan," he muttered.

"Judai, Please," he heard a voice cheer, "you cannot let yourself go like this. You only need to stand up!"

"Asuka?" Judai felt himself begin to rise.

"You see, Judai-kun?" his teacher asked. "And it's not just them." The view in his mind panned out, and he saw all the teachers and students standing right next to the dome. All seemed to be rooting for him.

"No…way…" Judai was only able to stutter. He felt a tear run down the side of his face. "All these people…cheering for my safety?" Daitokuji nodded. Judai felt a warmth run through him. As Daitokuji watched, Judai's body began to glow with a golden light. Judai's body in his mind's eye slowly floated up and straightened. Judai felt himself slowly rotate. He saw all the people cheering his name. Even Napoleon and Chronos were there.

"They're all there," Judai said, "and here I was, about to give up…" He growled in frustration at himself. "I…I…" He clenched his fists as he felt hot tears sting his eyes. "**I CAN'T GIVE UP!!!!!**"

Judai snapped open his eyes and enormous gust of wind overtook the dome, dispersing the smoke. Saiou shielded himself with his arms and grunted in annoyance. "What…is this!?" he howled.

Judai slowly sat up and lifted himself up off the ground. Saiou looked at the boy, and noticed he was growing with a golden light. "What's going on!?" the diviner demanded. 'This boy…' Saiou thought, 'this light…it's too pure! But I don't understand! If this boy isn't totally infected with the darkness, why is it that I couldn't penetrate his mind when he lost to Edo!? Could it be…that it wasn't just the Darkness that protected him, but that it was combination of the Darkness _and_ the Light, but why? Why would the Light wish for this boy to not be converted.'

"Judai…" Asuka muttered as the boy shimmered.

After the smoke had dispersed, the illumination coming from Judai made it much easier to see inside the dome. The crowd gazed in awe and wonder at the Osiris duelist as he had a golden aura surrounding him.

Judai closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and calmed himself. He opened his eyes and smirked across the field at Saiou. "This has been a fun duel, Saiou," the boy announced, "but I can't lose. I have too many people wishing for my safety to do so."

"It doesn't matter how many people wish for you to return safely!" Saiou roared. "You _will_ become mine! You have nothing!"

"I have my turn, Draw!" he declared. The boy drew a card and peered at it. "I activate the Magic Card, Spy Hero! By randomly discarding two cards from my deck, I randomly get a card from your Graveyard!" The boy closed his eyes and chose two cards from his deck. "I'll send Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab and Fusion Sage to the Grave!" He placed the cards in the Discard Pile. A transparent figure appeared in front of Judai and flashed into Saiou's duel disk. A card ejected itself from the Graveyard and Judai caught it.

He looked at it. "Well, here goes something," he whispered. Saiou glared at the child. "I activate Cup of Ace!" The Magic card appeared on the field and began to rotate.

"Judai's going to risk this duel on fate!?" Manjoume thought aloud.

"What else can he do?" Misawa responded.

"Yes, that's the card he's got," Fubuki told them, "I hate to say this, considering the opponent he's going up against, but it's all up to fate."

"I believe in him," Asuka stated firmly. "Judai is the only person right now up there, and I have all my faith in him."

"Yes, he hasn't failed yet," Areka agreed. "And for some reason…although I can't put my finger on it…I think he'll be ok."

"I'd tell you how it works," Judai told his opponent, "but you should know, seeing as it is your card."

"You're going to rely on fate for this duel?" Saiou growled loudly. "Isn't that against what you believe?"

"I'm not against fate," Judai stated, "I'm just for making my own destiny. I guess the turn of this card will decide it. What's wrong, Saiou? Isn't destiny your thing? You seem awfully nervous," Judai confidently sneered

"Scared!?" Saiou cackled. "Your going into my game, Judai! I will claim victory after this card stops in the Reversed position." The diviner watched the card spin around. He took a deep breath, and declared, "STOP!"

The card slowed and everyone watched as it passed the Upright position and seemed like it was going to stop in the Reversed position. However, much to Saiou's dismay, the extremely slow card passed that as well. It went around a few more times before it stopped.

It was Upright.

"WHAT!" Saiou howled.

Judai took two cards from his deck and looked at them. "I'll activate Hope of Fifth! By sending five E-Heroes from my Graveyard to my deck, I can draw three more cards! So I'll send E-Heroes Flame Wingman, Shining Flare Wingman, Electrum, Wildheart, and Sparkman to my deck! Then, I shuffle it, and draw a trio!" He looked at his three new cards.

"I'll start out by summoning Elemental Hero Neos, and using Necroshade's effect, I can summon him without a sacrifice!" The large muscle-bound creature appeared in a golden light similar to Judai's and glided down to the floor. "Next, I'll activate R-Righteous Justice! Now I can destroy Spell or Trap cards equal to the number of E-Heroes on my field! And it's getting a bit crowded in here, so I know the perfect card to destroy." The Hero-user grinned.

"No…" Saiou muttered. "You can't mean…!"

"I'll select The Bounds of Light as the target of my Spell!" he announced, pointing to the top of the dome. The image of the Spell card exploded, shining brightly like a flash grenade. Everyone in the vicinity shielded their eyes from the blast, but when the flash cleared, the dome had dissipated.

Everyone had a clear view of the duel now, and all were right near the action. "Aniki!" Kenzan and Sho exclaimed.

"You're ok…" Asuka muttered happily.

"NO!!" Saiou howled in rage. "MY FIELD SPELL!!!"

"You should be worried about yourself more than your Magic Card, Saiou," Judai firmly stated. "I now activate the Spell, Cocoon Party! Here's how it works, I can Special Summon as many monsters with 'Chrysalis' in its name equal to the number of Neo-Spacians in the Graveyard. So, since I have Aqua Dolphin and Flare Scarab in the Graveyard, I can summon two of them. And the two I choose are Chrysalis Hummingbird and Chrysalis Moss!"

"What good will those do you!?" Saiou roared angrily.

"Nothing, yet," Judai agreed, "but I'm not done! Next I activate Contact! Now, I can sacrifice my Chrysalis monsters to bring out their Neo-Spacian forms, Air Hummingbird and Glow Moss!"

"He's going for another Triple Contact Fusion!" Areka ecstatically yelled.

"Go for it, Judai!" Fubuki called.

"You heard them! Ready Neos? Air Hummingbird? Glow Moss?" The three heroes nodded. "Then let him have it, Triple Contact Fusion!"

The three heroes all flew into the air, which now had transformed into outer space. The aliens and the humanoid disappeared into the distance, before a bright light glowed. "The three aforementioned heroes are returned to my deck, allowing me to Special Summon Elemental Hero Seraph Neos (3000/2500)!" the Osiris duelist declared as he pointed for them to look into the sky.

Descending from the heavens came a creature decked out in a shimmering silver armor pointed at the top for a helmet-like structure. The creature had six magnificent white-colored, angel wings, three on either side of the hero. On its arms were bands that covered the forearm from wrist to elbow and were pointed beyond the elbow. It gently stepped onto the ground in front of Judai. The hero glowed brightly.

"How pretty…" Momoe gasped.

"But it still isn't powerful enough to beat that Light Ruler! It only has 3000 attack points!" Junko announced.

"Strength isn't in the numbers," Judai told them, "because Seraph Neos has an effect. Once per turn, this card can destroy a card on my opponent's side of the field!" Go, Seraph Neos! Destroy his Light Ruler! Heavenly Tempest!" The hero floated back into the air and began flapping its wings creating a strong torrent of wind, which rapidly began moving towards Saiou's monster.

Saiou however reared back and roared with laughter. "Judai! You have made your gravest mistake! Light Ruler! Activate your effect!" The creature's eye lit up again, as the giant alien stood up to its full height. It pulsated before sending a stream of energy from its eye directly through the whirlwind, dispersing it effortlessly. The beam didn't stop there, however, as it ripped through the midsection of the hero, and annihilated it in a fiery white explosion. All that was left were a few Angel feathers that silently floated to the ground where the hero had once stood.

Judai roared aloud as he was shocked with red electricity again. The boy dropped to his knees and then to his hands, heaving. "Judai…no…" Asuka whispered.

"He has nothing left," Manjoume muttered sadly. "It's all over."

"Aniki…" Sho breathed.

"When Arcana Force EX The Light Ruler is targeted by an effect while he is in the Reversed position, I can decrease his attack by 1000 points to negate the effect and destroy the card," Saiou explained cheerily. "You get to draw a card too, but it won't help you now."

Judai clutched his stomach as a sound came from him, as his body shook. Saiou noticed and grinned maliciously. "So, finally come to grips that your fight is finally over?"

Judai, however, wasn't crying or gasping for air. He picked his head up to show him chuckling. "Saiou…I don't think I've ever fought as hard as this, before," Judai stated, almost happily, "but the joke's on you."

"What?" Saiou gasped.

"The card I drew was the Spell Fusion Recovery, meaning it's all over for you," the boy stated happily.

"What can that do?" Saiou wondered incredulously. That only allows you to return a Polymerization and a Fusion-Material monster that was used in a Fusion back from the grave! You have neither!"

"I'm sorry, I should have emphasized more on the fact that it was a Spell more than what the Spell was," Judai replied. "See, my Seraph Neos has a second effect. When it is destroyed, I can automatically remove one card in my hand from play to Special Summon it back to the field, provided I don't have any other cards on my field." He placed the card in his hand into his deck holder, and the few angel feathers that were in front of Judai began glowing, and shot up a beam of light the flew into the sky and deep into space. Out from the beacon of light reappeared the Silvery, Angel-like hero.

"Now, here's where the fun part begins," Judai grinned, "all face-up cards on the opponent's field that aren't the same type of card removed from play are instantly destroyed! And since this doesn't target, your creature's effect doesn't work on it!"

"WAIT," Saiou hollered, "BUT…BUT THAT MEANS…!"

"It means it's the end for you, Saiou!" Judai finished. "Or rather, Light of Ruin! Let's try this again. Seraph Neos! Heaven's Cloud!" The hero flew into the air and made a motion with his hands, creating a star-like formation. The Hero then placed his left hand on his right forearm and thrusted his right arm forward, sending a meteor of falling stars to collide onto Saiou's field. Saiou howled in pain from the shackles on his arms. Saiou slumped to his knees, holding his head.

"I don't believe it!" Momoe cried.

"Judai's done it!" Junko exclaimed.

"Saiou's wide open!" Misawa chimed in.

"All he has to do is declare his attack!" Manjoume stated.

"Hit with all you got!" Fubuki stated.

"Go for it, Aniki!" Kenzan and Sho cheered.

"Show him what we all think about destiny!" Areka shouted.

"JUDAI!" Asuka called.

"GO, SERAPH NEOS! SWORD OF THE HEAVENS!" The hero held up both of his arms and out ejected blades on the front of his arms. The monster sped at Saiou, who looked up at the hero, before being slashed in his chest with both blades. Saiou roared as the shackles ripped his body with electricity. The shackles didn't last long, however, as the giant ghastly alien known as the Light of Ruin grew out of Saiou's body before exploding in a fantastic ball of energy. The intensity of the expulsion of the evil creature shattered the shackles on Saiou's body, relieving him of any further pain. The man dropped forward, unconscious.

The holograms of the duel disappeared and the entire arena was silent. Judai smiled at the unconscious form of the man, whose face had its color returned and his facial features softened back into a normal human's. "Finally…" Judai breathed, "it's…over…" He began to fall forward into unconsciousness.

"Judai!" everyone called. Asuka and Fubuki bounded up the steps, as Asuka caught him before he fell face-first into the floor.

"Judai!" Asuka quickly asked, "are you…?" but she stopped in mid-sentence.

Fubuki stood behind Judai and became very worried. "Sis? Is he…?"

Asuka shook her head, as she smiled. "I think he's going to be just fine." She said as Judai rested. She knew it in her heart, because for the first time in what seemed like forever, Judai was smiling. This smile, however, contained no weariness, no sadness, and no remorse. It was Judai's old smile, warm, comforting, and happy, with just a hint of confidence.

"He's going to be fine…" she whispered again.

**AJ**: WHOO-WEE! WHAT AN EMOTIONAL RIDE!

**Bil**: Blow it out your ear.

**AJ**: Bah, you're just jealous.

**Bil**: Glad this thing's gonna be over in another chapter or so.

**AJ**: …Must you ruin EVERYTHING!?

**Bil**: Yes.

**AJ**: -sighs-…Well, I've got an end of story gift at the end of the next chapter, so make sure you read it! It probably won't be as long as these last couple of chapters have been, but we'll see.

**Bil**: Better be a barbeque,

**AJ**: You'll find out when we get there.


	53. Many Partings

**AJ**: -sniff, sniff-…Well…h-here it is…the Final chapter…

**Bil**: Quit blubbering, ya wuss.

**AJ**: …B-but…it's the last chapter.

**Bil**: So what? Life goes on.

**AJ**: I guess…I'll tell you guys the surprise at the end of the chapter.

**Bil**: I'm expecting a Barbeque.

**AJ**: I bet you are.

Chapter 52: Many Partings: Forward To The Pro League! 

Judai lay in a bed in the infirmary surrounded by Asuka, Fubuki, Sho, Manjoume, and the rest. It was nearly seven AM, and the duel between Judai and Saiou had ended nearly three days earlier, but Judai had yet to wake up. As everyone thought, Edo was up and about when the group had arrived in the infirmary with Judai and Saiou. He immediately helped Saiou into bed, before helping Judai get situated in his own bed.

About an hour after the duel had ended, Saiou awoke. Edo tended to him, as he needed, before the diviner felt he could maneuver on his own. It seemed that the cause for Saiou's unconsciousness was the ejection of the Light of Ruin from his body, and thus, once his body had rested for a bit, the fortuneteller was fine. Ayukawa, however, wanted to keep him in the infirmary for observation for a few days. She did tell Edo and Saiou that it would be ok for him to leave later that morning. Edo still sat by his bedside, as the diviner's chest slowly rose and fell.

Judai, however, had not awoken. His body was slightly charred due to the amount of electricity that had been poured through his body, but it seemed that there weren't as many burn marks as Ayukawa thought there was going to be.

Judai didn't seem to be in any danger. As a matter of fact, the only problem was that his eyes were shut. There seemed to be no severe injuries of any kind from the duel he had just been in.

"I wish the Drop-out would just wake up," Manjoume wearily yawned, fatigue getting the better of his senses.

Junko and Momoe immediately glared at the boy right in front of his face. "You just be quiet!" Momoe shouted.

"Yeah, Judai helped turn this place back to normal after your craziness!" Junko added.

"What did you do to help!?" Momoe inquired.

"She's right! All you did was convert more and more people into that stupid Society!" Junko screeched.

"I wasn't myse---EEEELFFF!!!" Manjoume had backed up too far from the angry girls. He fell off the bench he was sitting on and to his back, moaning in pain and rubbing the back of his head. The girls, satisfied that Manjoume had been punished enough, turned back to Judai.

Asuka sat beside Judai's bedside, with Fubuki behind her. Sho and Kenzan sat back to back, lightly snoozing on a bench on the other side of Judai's bed. Areka listened to some music via headphones and was reading a magazine on the floor, but she appeared to be out of it, as well. Misawa sat and typed on a laptop, presumably about formulas and the like.

Edo stood up from his spot and walked over to the group. He sighed, sensing the tension in the area, but broke the silence. "So, how is he?" the pro asked.

No one answered right away, instead just staring at Judai. Fubuki finally broke the silence, saying, "He's no different from when we first brought him up here. He's just sleeping. No one knows anything else."

"I see…" Edo sighed. He didn't want to admit it, but he was very grateful towards Judai. His rival Hero-user had saved not only Saiou from the Light of Ruin, but the entire universe. Plus, they still had one final match to discover whose deck was truly greatest and most deserving of the term 'Hero'.

"Ayukawa-sensei says that he'll be fine," Asuka stated, surprising those around her. "We just need for him to wake up." Edo nodded, and went to sit back down by Saiou, reading his book. Asuka watched Judai as he breathed in and out. A random strand of brown hair flew out over Judai's face. Asuka lightly brushed it aside.

Suddenly, Judai made the first response to those around he'd made in some time. His face contorted as if he was in pain or suffering and began to twist and turn. He moaned and groaned as he did so.

"What's wrong with him!?" Asuka hastily asked to no one in particular.

Ayukawa immediately burst into the room and rushed over to Judai's bedside. She checked some gauges and measurements as the others gathered around to check what was going on. She looked worried.

"Ayukawa-sensei, is something wrong?" Asuka inquired concernedly.

"Nothing too major…" the doctor told them. "But he seems to be having a nightmare. By the looks of it, it's rather violent…" She looked anxious as she watched the duelist, who continued to toss and turn ferociously. He gained a pained expression on his face, and cold sweat began to rapidly pour off of him. His breathing hastened.

As the group watched him, they were able to hear one word croak from his throat. "Midori."

Judai opened his eyes as he stood in an enormous arena. It was not like your normal arenas, however. He couldn't see the crowd's faces, as they were all darkened. The only light in the area was that over the duel field he was on.

The duel field looked entirely different, as well. It was gigantic and square, with enough spots for at least ten duelists near the outer area and enough for only two towards the middle.

"This…looks like…back then…" Judai breathed. A monster glided down from the sky in front of him. It was Arch Villain Maleficus. "Maleficus!?" Judai gasped. He looked across the field and noticed one duelist still standing across the field. A monster appeared in a flash of light on his field. It was the Overlord of Dark World, Reign-Beaux. The creature roared a heinous, hell-spawned screech, forcing Judai to cover his ears. The creature thrusted its enormous trident into the ground and caused a fissure underneath Judai's monster. The Arch Villain fell beneath the rocks into the depths of darkness.

"I remember this…" Judai muttered, his eyes widening. He looked to both sides, but saw no one around him. "Midori-oneesan? Midori-oneesan?"

"Judai-dono…" an arrogant, coldhearted voice called from the distance. Judai felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, and cold sweat drip down his face. He forced himself to look forward. The youth looked forward and his eyes widened at what he saw.

The Dark Realm creature had disappeared and in its place stood a humanoid with a striking resemblance to Judai's own Elemental Hero Neos. Judai blinked and shook his head. "No way…it…it can't be…" Judai breathed disbelieving what he saw. "Elemental Hero The Earth!?!?"

"Judai-dono…I told you…I told you I'd give you five years, the same amount of time it had been since we knew each other…" the hatred-filled voice echoed. "Once those five years were up, I told you, I'd come after you. It is for true justice. The justice of the crime of taking away my sister!" The boy raised his head, revealing a pair of darkened glasses and spiky white hair. He wore a black leather vest and black jeans. He bore a red undershirt and black cowboy boots.

"No…Kouyou…I told you…I was…" Judai pleaded hastily. He never knew himself to be so cowardly towards just one individual in his life. This, however, was no ordinary individual. This was the man whom Judai went through Hell with together, the man he considered his best friend for five years

"Five years, Judai-dono," the youngster across from him said, "and now, you will finally pay for your crime…" The hero standing in front of Kouyou began to flare up and ignited two energy swords in front of him. "ELEMENTAL HERO THE EARTH! ATTACK JUDAI DIRECTLY! MAGMA X SLASH!" The hero leapt high into the air and raised his two energy swords. Judai watched in horror as the monster came soaring down towards him, ready to strike.

The hero then brought the two swords down across Judai's chest. The duelist across from him laughed maniacally as the 'X' created by the creature immediately began spurting blood freely. The boy clutched his chest and coughed heavily, spitting up enormous amounts of blood to go along with the sum pouring out from his chest.

"And now," Kouyou stated, causing Judai's head to lift up, "for the finishing touch." Judai felt his heart drop to what was supposed to be the place where his stomach was.

Asuka was standing next to Kouyou, facing Judai's former best friend. Kouyou put his hand to her chin and brought her face towards his into a deep kiss. Judai felt rage build within him. "Kou…Kouyou…" Judai stated through grit teeth.

Kouyou just smirked at the lad as he broke the kiss. Asuka turned and faced Judai with an emotionless expression on her face. The kiss didn't faze her at all.

Suddenly, the still fiery Hero landed behind Asuka. One of its swords was still ignited. Judai instantly knew what he was going to do. "KOUYOU, DON'T INVOLVE HER!!!!" Judai roared. With what little energy he had within him, he picked himself up and rushed forward. The enormous amount of blood loss, however, didn't allow him to go far, as he slipped and fell, his body not allowing him to stand up again. He knew that the Kouyou would not listen to him, due to the psychotic look in his eyes. So, he tried the woman he loved. "**ASUKA, GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!!**" She seemed to respond to this, and began to shake her head, stumbling away.

"Judai-dono," Kouyou began as his hero grabbed Asuka's neck, not allowing her to move out of range, "Rot In Hell."

Judai's face was contorted in a rage unheralded by mankind. "**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!**"

At that moment, the hero shoved its sword forward into Asuka's chest. The hero then disengaged his sword, and the blood began to flow freely from Asuka. She stepped forward two steps looking at Judai with a saddened look, tears pouring down her face as a trickle of blood dripped from her mouth. She reached forward with her hand, asking for help, but slipped. She fell into the gorge in the Earth's surface and disappeared into the abyss.

Judai dropped to his knees at the edge of the crevasse and looked down. "**ASUKAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!**" he screeched at the top of his lungs as tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. His voice seemed to echo from the four corners of the earth. Amidst the scream, he heard the hatred-filled, arrogant laughter of his old friend, Kouyou.

Judai snapped awake and sat up. "**KOUYOU!!!!**" he immediately shouted, his face twisted into a psychotic rage.

"Judai?" a voice shakily questioned after a moment. Judai blinked and realized that he was not in a duel arena. His face instantly softened as he noticed himself surrounded by rather nervous friends. His breathing became heavy, but not nearly as rapid as it was, and he put his hand to his chest, soon noticing he had his shirt on, and looked down it. No scars or anything that were the result of a cut or slash.

Judai sighed deeply and fell back into his pillow. He panted as if he had been running in a marathon for over twenty-four hours straight. He wiped his face with his hand, to notice that he was covered in a cold sweat. He closed his eyes and desperately tried to calm himself, but to no avail.

"Judai," Asuka bravely stepped forward as she gingerly asked the lad, "are you ok?"

Judai sat up. 'It _was_ a dream,' the duelist mused, looking at Asuka, then at his concerned friends. He put his hand up to his head, 'But…it was so real!' he thought.

Asuka gently put her hand on his shoulder. "Judai…" she softly said. "is there something wrong? You can tell us."

Judai gulped. He wanted to tell them. He wanted so desperately to tell them. But this was something he needed to deal with on his own. He couldn't get them involved, no matter the cost. He forced a smile upon his face and picked his head up. "Absolutely nothing's wrong, Asuka," he managed to blurt out, knowing it was a horrible lie. "J-just a bad dream."

Asuka looked sadly at the boy, but didn't press any further, to which Judai was grateful. He looked at all of them, when he decided to change the subject. "So…how long have I been out?" he asked.

"About three days," Areka answered, causing Judai's eyes to widen and his mouth open slightly.

"THREE DAYS!?!?" he repeated loudly.

"Did I stutter?" she questioned rather quietly.

"She's right," Edo told them, "and I know it's rather short notice, but I'd like to duel with you in front of the school, in our greatest rematch."

"Are you crazy!?" Ayukawa yelled, scaring all around her, including Edo and Saiou, who had awoken from the racket. "He has just been through a rigorous duel and only just now woke up for the first time since then! He has several burn marks, not to mention the ones that were worsened thanks to the previous duels! He has been out for three days, but you're going to make him duel right away!?!?! ARE YOU INSANE!?!?!"

"Ay-Ayukawa-sensei?" Judai meekly inquired. "I…think I'm fine…So, let me duel…"

"That won't be allowed," Samejima stated as he walked into the infirmary.

"Samejima?" everyone questioned.

"Judai," the man began, "you need to set off immediately for the PDL's official site. They open up tonight in Tokyo, and you're scheduled to duel!"

"WHAT!?" Judai screamed. "BUT HOW'D I MAKE IT TO THE PDL!?!?"

"I can understand how you forgot about your prize due to the circumstances," Samejima stated, "but the fact remains that you are now owned for two months by the PDL. Your first duel is tonight, and you have to set off, quickly."

"But…" Judai said.

"Judai," Asuka said, causing Judai to turn around, "we're all rooting for you. Go and make your dreams come true."

Judai looked into the girl's blue eyes, before smiling. "I'll make you all proud."

"Judai," Edo said, "I need to go too. I am scheduled to defend my Duel Title against Kaiser tonight, as well. You can tag along in my boat. Saiou can be your manager, for the time being."

"Manager!?" Judai questioned. "Jeez, this keeps going so fast."

"It's the least I can do for you, Judai," the diviner said, sitting up, "after freeing me and saving the world. Besides, my sister Mizuchi will be there, as well. I invited her to come along."

"Man…I can't believe this is happening…and how quickly it's happening," Judai muttered.

"I know it's short notice, Judai," Samejima stated, "but please, it will give our school so much publicity."

"Don't worry, there's no way I'm passing up this chance," Judai assured him. He leapt out of bed, threw on his jacket, and smiled. "I'll go kick butt and take some names."

"Judai, there's also something else I'd like for you to do, if you're up to it," Samejima told him.

"What is it?"

"No…I'll tell you later after tonight," Samejima said.

"Well, what're you waiting for!?" Fubuki asked.

"Let's get going to the docks!" Areka shouted.

"C'mon Aniki! We don't want you to be late!" Kenzan and Sho screeched in the boy's ear.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Judai shouted. "Man, you people are more excited about this than I am!"

"Just remember," Manjoume told him, "you owe me a beat down in a duel when you get back!"

"You gotta EARN your victories, and I don't see you earning anything against me for a good while!" Judai retorted.

"I'LL SHOW YOU!!!" Manjoume leapt forward and put Judai into an extremely painful-looking arm-lock. "SAY IT!!! SAY IT!!!"

"ALRIGHT!!! UNCLE, UNCLE!!" Judai shouted amidst the laughs of his friends. 'These are my friends. This is my present. I just have to let the past be past, and not think about it anymore,' the boy thought, 'after all, this is what Midori-oneesan would want of me.' He smiled as he watched all his friends following him to Edo's boat, sending him off to his Pro Dueling League debut.

**AJ**: And…there you have it. Not the greatest of endings, and I know you AxJ lovers are disappointed, but that's where this story ends.

**Bil**: Thank God. Now, about that surprise…

**AJ**: Ah, yes, my going away present for my adoring fans.

**Bil**: And me.

**AJ**: Yes, of course, and my adoring seventy-year-old swordmaster.

**Bil**: Thank you. Now, what's the surprise?

**AJ**: The surprise is…drum roll please….(I'm sure most of you have guessed it by now…)

**Bil**: …What is it!?!?

**AJ**: ….It's that…THIS STORY IS ONLY THE BEGINNING!!!!

**Bil**: **WHAT!?!?!?!?**

**AJ**: That is correct! I plan on continuing this story past this chapter! I plan on making a sequel in time, once I plan out some duels!

**BIL**: **GET OVER HERE!!!!!**

**AJ**: ;;;;;; -dashes off- THANK YOU, ALL MY ADORING FANS, AND I PROMISE TO LOSE THIS BAFFOON AND START WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER SOON!!!! UNTIL NEXT TIME!!!

**Bil**: **GET BACK HERE, YOU ASSWIPE!!!!!!**


End file.
